


Artificial Love

by songbvrd



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Childhood Rivals, Liam Dunbar POV, M/M, Prince Liam, Prince Theo, The Swan Princess AU, Theo Raeken POV, childhood enemies, enemies to lovers (eventually- not as kids), fake dating (eventually), royal au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:22:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 83,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28518573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songbvrd/pseuds/songbvrd
Summary: Prince Theo and Prince Liam are forced to spend every Summer together from age five onwards. They hate each other, and usually find ways to make each other miserable as much as possible in their six weeks together.But when they're reunited because of intended unions as adults, things change. They're both supposed to be married to noble women, but neither of them is as interested in anyone else as they are with their childhood rival.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 146
Kudos: 170





	1. Age Five

**Author's Note:**

> Aye, ya girl is back with another multichapter Thiam fic! This is basically intended to be somewhere between Bridgerton, The Swan Princess and Red, White and Royal Blue! Make of that what you will! I hope you find it interesting, because I will be going through some of the childhood years before we get to the adult section!
> 
> As always, please feel free to give any/all feedback! Thanks!

The Queen sat down in the leather chair, her blue eyes following her only son as he fidgeted nervously in his seat. At five years old, he looked more like his father everyday. Although, he had Jenna's eyes.

She knew why he was nervous. He had been told he was the man of their house practically since he was born, the man of their country. It was true, at least in the literal sense, though Jenna hated to see so much weight on his shoulders from such a young age.

That was why she chose to introduce him to the other young prince. He was a little older, though in a similar position to Liam. Being a crown prince so young, having so much pressure and expectation on their little shoulders every time they left their own home. When Queen Caroline Raeken suggested they bring the two boys together, Jenna thought it was a smart idea. She knew they could frame it as foreign diplomacy, but the truth was that they each worried about their sons, and they each thought a friend could help. It wouldn't hurt that if they were, in fact, friends, their Kingdoms would be naturally aligned.

"It's going to be alright, Liam." Jenna said softly, leaning forward to fix the little three-piece suit that he wore. She'd sooner see him in something softer and more comfortable, but at least for the first day of their visit, for their arrival and the crowds that would come with it, he should be dressed correctly.

"What if Prince Theo doesn't like me?" Liam asked, and Jenna watched with pride as his face scrunched up into a little pout. He was adorable and rather bright, he would be great at this one day. When he was old enough to understand it all in more depth. For now, Jenna just wanted him to enjoy. To be happy.

"What's not to like, sweetheart?" Jenna asked, resting a hand on his cheek tenderly. "I'm sure he'll be happy to have a friend like him."

Liam settled a little, though not much, and not enough for Jenna to settle with him. He was clearly nervous, and she could understand why. He rarely had any friends around him, at least besides the other children who wandered in the castle.

By the time they arrived and departed the plane, Liam's little cheeks were red, and he bounced awkwardly from one foot to another. Clearly, he was afraid, and though Jenna understood why, she was eager to get behind closed doors so he could relax a little easier. He waved as they walked in, and Jenna kept a hand on his shoulder to make sure he was never pulled away, that he knew he wasn't alone in all of this.

By the time they were welcomed inside the house, Liam's face was a tomato, and his hands were folded nervously behind his back. He stood straight, the very picture of the royal he was being raised into. Jenna sometimes wished he would get to be a normal kid, running around in a playground and going to a normal school. He was so limited in what he was allowed to do, but that was the way it was for them.

She caught sight of Caroline first, the blonde woman the picture of grace. She had a hand on her son's shoulder, and young Prince Theo looked a lot like her. Green eyes, hands folded neatly in front of himself. He was just like her, and Jenna offered him a smile instinctively.

His floppy hair covered most of his forehead, and he looked distinctly like he was trying to hide behind it, awkwardly bouncing on his heels, avoiding the eyes of either Liam or Jenna herself. He was a little taller than her own son, and she was sure that he and Liam would be friends.  
Caroline nudged him and he took a step forward, sighing heavily in his higher pitched, childish voice. "Hello, Liam." He grumbled begrudgingly.

Jenna looked down at Liam, who stared up at the high ceilings, as if he hadn't heard a word. She cleared her throat and he stepped forward too, a little pout puffing his cheeks out.

"I'm Liam." He mumbled back.

Jenna took a few quick steps forward, holding a hand out to Caroline in greeting. Caroline took it and after a moment, the two of them hugged. They had been friends themselves, each growing up in the same castles they raised their kids in.

Though Caroline was still married, Jenna had lost her husband a few years back. Still, the two of them of them had known each other so long that their friendship was essentially guaranteed. And because of that, Jenna thought that the two boys were relatively destined to be friends as well.

"Go show Prince Liam your room, Theo." Caroline said warmly, and Theo frowned at Liam, but ran off, Liam followed along after him, with only a minimal prompt by his mother.

The two Queens made their way out to a garden, where they sat, dressed in their niceties, pretending to be the ladies they were supposed to be. It was only day one of their visit, and people were watching. By tomorrow, Jenna had no doubt they’d be back to their real selves. Watching movies in their pyjamas while their sons played.

They had weeks to spend here, weeks of time for Theo and Liam to get to know each other, to become the friends they were always supposed to be. It would only ever help their kingdoms’s good relationships with each other, and help their sons too.

Liam didn’t want to be here, actually. He’d tried to tell his mom every day for a month, but she didn’t care. She told him it was good for him, that his father would want him to have friends. Friends sounded good, but being forced to spend the summer here when he had perfectly good friends back home...

He sat across from the older Prince, watching the other boy playing with a little handheld game. Liam didn’t recognise it immediately, but he liked games. Still, he was too shy to get too much closer, blue eyes scanning the other boy, a little afraid to make a sound or a move.

"Well?" Theo asked, and Liam stared at him, awkwardly fiddling with the sleeve of his suit. "Aren't you going to come over?" His tone wasn't friendly, and Liam immediately got the sense that Theo didn't like him. He didn't particularly want to be there either, but he wasn't being rude about it.

Liam swallowed and scooted closer across the floor. He pulled on the edges of his sleeves, watching as Theo discarded his own suit jacket, legs folded, playing the game. Liam leaned closer so that he could see what Theo was doing, and he watched as Theo played the game. He wasn't familiar with it, but in a matter of minutes, he was getting the hang of it.

"Can I try?" Liam asked, a hopeful smile on his face as he looked up at the other boy.

"No." Theo answered, sneering at Liam over the top of his game. "It's mine, why would I let you play?" He rolled his eyes. "I'm being nice already by letting you watch. Mum said I had to include you, she didn't say I had to let you play."

Liam blinked at the older boy, who barely spared him a sidelong glance.

It didn't take more than a few moments of contemplation for Liam to decide he didn't like Prince Theo, and he wanted to go home as soon as he possibly could.

"It's hot." Liam said slowly, trying to start a conversation with Theo, because it was awkward enough as it was. He knew his mom would want him to try, and though he was trying already, he didn't want to give up. Especially not when he was going to be there for weeks, like it or not.

Theo glanced up, glaring at Liam like he'd said something offensive. "So?" He asked, brows raising, "What's wrong with our sun?"

Liam blinked, looking offended, "We have the same sun." He said slowly, swaying awkwardly where he sat, "But it's... not as hot where I'm from."

Theo rolled his eyes dramatically, getting to his feet and walking over to the window, opening it. "Maybe you should go outside. You can sit with our Mums while they drink tea or whatever." He suggested coldly, nodding his head out the window.

Liam frowned, still sitting in his place on the floor, eyes wide and obviously concerned. "But... but I thought we were meant to play together. They want us to be friends."

Theo stared him down again, like there was something embarrassing about what he had said.  
"So? She invited you here, not me." He said, turning back the game in his hands.

Liam sat a moment longer, looking up at him, totally unsure of what he was meant to say. He was only trying to do the right thing, trying to do what his mother had wanted. She'd promised that Theo would like him, but Theo didn't like him, and Liam didn't like him much either. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to sit and wait for something to happen or if he should go find his Mom.

He stared at Theo for a moment, like he was trying to figure him out. Or maybe just unsure of what he was meant to say. After a moment, Theo glanced back up at him, glaring at him. Liam decided that he hated Theo's stupid freckles and his stupid suit. He hated his stupid floppy hair too, and the stupid way his mouth twisted when he glared at Liam. May as well be the prince of stupid, Liam decided.

"What?" Theo snapped, glancing up, "You just going to stare at me all day? Gross."

Liam frowned at him a moment longer, then got to his feet and walked out of the room, with absolutely no idea where he was going.

His house -- castle? -- was big and Liam really had no concept of how to get back down to their garden, or even to the front of the place. He could probably call out for help, someone must work around here, but he didn't want to. He was annoyed with Theo, annoyed with his mother for bringing him here, annoyed with Theo's mother for not making Theo nicer.

He walked uselessly around the place, looking for something familiar. He opened about ten different doors that led to nothing useful before he opened one to a big library.

Liam's eyes widened, and he walked into the place, looking around. He'd never been much of a reader, he always got too distracted and wound up doing something entirely useless instead. He'd been trying to read a book his mother had given him about the history of their country when he first figured out that he could whistle really loud if he used his thumb and pointed fingers.

Still, he liked the idea of reading, and maybe if he had a place like this in his own home, he might be more likely to concentrate. Probably not, but he would be more likely to try. It was like some kind of maze, and the deeper he walked in, the more he realised he should've found a light switch or something. But the lines of books went all the way to the ceiling, and Liam was transfixed. Some of them seemed not even to be in English, and Liam wondered if every book ever written was in here. Not that he had any clue how many books had ever been written.

He wondered if there was a section of books he could read, and he figured that there must be, since Theo had to read too, right?

"Who let you in here?"

The voice nearly made Liam jump out of his skin, he'd thought he was alone, but when he looked around, he found a desk in the far corner of the huge library, only a small lamp lighting it up, the shadow of a person sitting in the chair. He couldn't see who it was, but he immediately backed up, wondering if he was about to get eaten, or trapped in a cage like in Beauty and the Beast.

"I-- I'm sorry," Liam said quickly, stepping backwards until he hit a wall of books, only just realising he was walking sideways when it was too late. "I didn't know anyone was in here, please don't lock me in a tower."

The shadowy figure got up slowly and turned towards Liam, who cowered away, until he heard a laugh. It sounded sort of evil, but not like he was expecting. He blinked his confusion at the shadow monster, until he heard it speak again. "Are you Queen Jenna's son?" He asked, stepping close enough to Liam that he could make out his face in the light. He had dark hair and eyes, and he was tall. He looked like a giant to Liam, who was small even for his age.

"Yes... Please don't eat me."

He laughed again, "You have a big imagination, kid." He patted him on the head casually, and Liam winced. "My name's Jonathan. I'm Theo's father." He explained, "And I'm not going to eat you. You look sort of stringy to me."

Liam's brows furrowed, confused as to whether or not the man was going to eat him or not. Confused as to whether he was joking at all. Could a King eat people? Maybe he lured people here to eat them. Maybe that was why he had invited Liam and his Mom over in the first place.

Liam's brows furrowed, confused as to whether or not the man was going to eat him or not. Confused as to whether he was joking at all. Could a King eat people? Maybe he lured people here to eat them. Maybe that was why he had invited Liam and his Mom over in the first place.

"Come with me, I'll take you back to Theo." He said with a smile, and Liam immediately shook his head, worried.

"No, not Theo, please. Can you take me back to my Mom?"

He looked mildly concerned, for a moment, glancing over his shoulder, before nodding. "I'll find Jenna. Is Theo being a little brat?" He asked as he walked, his hand on Liam's shoulder.

Liam glanced up at Theo's dad, still mildly concerned he might be about to get locked in a tower or eaten or something. "Yeah. Is he normally a brat?" Liam asked, surprised that Theo's Dad would call him that, even though it made total sense to Liam. He was a little brat. Liam would have to remember that one for later.

"Oh, yes. I suspect that's why your mother has to make friends for him from other countries." He suggested with a little smile. "His own friends are just like him. Maybe you'll be a good influence on him. He could use that."

They walked in quiet for a moment, Liam having no idea how to answer the comment. He didn't think he was going to be any kind of influence on Theo, considering Theo had been mean to him right off the bat, but at least Theo's dad agreed with him. He decided he liked the King now. Even if he was planning to eat him one day. At least maybe he'd eat Theo too.

"So. Do you like it here so far?" He asked politely.

Liam shrugged, looking around. "It's hot." He grumbled, "And your son's mean. I like... the Queen though." He said slowly, unable to think of the Queen's name. He couldn't remember Theo's Dad's either, but that was fine, because in his head, he just kept thinking of him as that one furry guy from Beauty and the Beast.

“Yes, well... I’ll be sure to talk to Theo about that.” He pushed a door open and the sun hit Liam in the face. He hated these stupid suits. But at least he could see his Mom, and he had to tell her about the giant library and Theo being mean and how the King hadn’t eaten him yet but Liam still wasn’t convinced he wouldn’t.

“Mama!” He called, taking off running down the lawn towards her. Liam nearly never called her that anymore. At nearly six years old, he tried to be more adult and serious, because he was a crown prince and the man of the house, but he still wasn’t good at it. Particularly when tall men had nearly locked him in towers.

She got to her feet, grabbing him and swinging him up into her arms. “Hey, bear. What’s’a’matter?”

“Theo’s mean.” He whined, dropping his head into her shoulder.

*

“You’re a snitch.” Theo grumbled, kicking his feet aggressively, it was the only way to show his anger.

“Stop it.” Liam told him, shoving his side. “The blankets are all bunching up. I’ll snitch on you again.”

“It’s your fault we’re sharing a bed at all.” Theo groaned. “It wasn’t meant to be a sleepover, we have so many rooms you could sleep, but you tattled and now I have to have a sleepover with you to bond.”

“No, it’s your fault we’re sharing a bed.” Liam argued, shoving him again. “If you hadn’t been mean to me, I wouldn’t have gone into the big Beauty and the Beast library and I wouldn’t have met the scary King. If you hadn’t been mean, I wouldn’t have had to tell my Mom. But my Mom always says we don’t let other kids bully us. And you were bullying me.”

“Ugh.” Theo kicked him in the shin and Liam yelped. “How long is a summer anyway?”

“Six weeks.” Liam grumbled back, immediately kicking him back.

“I don’t want to have to look at your dumb face for six weeks.”

“I don’t want to hear your dumb voice for six weeks either. Stop being a bully and we can be friends.”

“Pfft. No. My friend Josh is going to be home soon and then I’ll play with him. You can play tea parties with the Mums.”

“I hate you.” Liam mumbled into the dark.

“I hate you too. Go to bed.”

*

Liam had already read seven books by the time Josh arrived. Sure, they were small books, but for a five year old who got distracted all the time, Liam thought that was pretty good.

As it happened, Josh was okay. At least, when Theo wasn’t around, Josh was okay. But he also helped Theo keep Liam out. Liam knew it was because they were best friends, but he wondered if his Mom would let him bring Mason or Corey next time. If, god forbid, he ever had to come back here.

“I don’t get why you like this place.” Theo grumbled.

He looked less like a villain from a cartoon now that they were all allowed to dress normal. Josh was the tallest, and Liam thought his face was less stupid than Theo’s.

“It’s quiet and it smells good.” Liam answered. His voice echoed in the library, and Liam sat up on the little balcony near the window. It was weird, having a balcony inside, but it was like it’s own little reading nook, and Liam loved it. He even loved how he had to climb up the slidey ladder to get into it.

“You’re loud and you smell bad.” Theo said back, looking at Josh expectantly until he laughed along, though he didn’t look like he thought it was particularly funny.

Liam just rolled his eyes. “Do you like reading Josh?” He asked.

The slight taller six year old glanced up, seeming surprised that Liam was talking to him directly. “Yeah. Mum says I’m a really good reader. She says it’s important for me to be, since we’re technically in the royal bloodline and—“

“Stop distracting my friend, Liam.” He said with a scoff, “We’re playing a game.”

They were playing uno, and Liam had tried to tell them it’d be much more fun with three people, but Theo wouldn’t let him join in.

“Your dad says you’re a little brat.” Liam said casually, swinging his legs off the little balcony.

“My dad doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Theo grumbled, though he couldn’t meet Liam or Josh’s eyes. “He spends all his time reading, like you, Dumbar.”

“It’s Dunbar.”

“I know what I said.”

“Okay, little brat.” Liam said back, feeling a weird sense of pride. It wasn’t a great insult, but it had seemed to bother Theo before.

*

“Theo, you have to sing properly.”

“I don’t want to sing properly, I don’t like Prince Liam.” He said his name like the name was garbage, and Liam stared back at him, glaring so hard his cheeks turned pink.

“You have to sing properly.” The scary King said flatly, and Liam decided he liked him and should come up with a better nickname. He was nice to Liam and he hadn’t eaten him yet.

Theo let out a big dramatic sigh and started singing, him and Josh standing just back enough that Liam felt uncomfortable. He was six now, and Theo was nearly seven, but Liam still felt like a kid next to them, mostly because they left him out of everything.

“Mom, when can we go home?” He asked as soon as the song was over.

She sighed, “Two more weeks, baby. Just enjoy your birthday, yeah? King Jonathan has graciously agreed to give you some more of their books to read. He even said you can use the library balcony whenever you want.”

“Thank you, Mr King.” Liam said brightly, shooting him a holey grin.

“You’re welcome, kid.” He said warmly, and pat Liam on the shoulder. “You know, you could be more like him Theo. He’s polite and respectful.”

Theo rolled his eyes and turned to walk off, so Liam sat with King Jonathan and Queen Caroline and his Mom to eat cake while the other two ran away.

It made Liam kind of sad, but he liked the adults at least, and maybe he was just better with adults than with kids. King Jonathan liked his jokes. He even helped Liam learn how to pay more attention to his books rather than getting too distracted.

Theo said his Dad wasn’t around enough to know, but Liam saw his Dad a lot. He would sit with him in the study and talk about books. The King would work and Liam would ask him how words were spelled or what they meant. He made Liam feel smarter, and Liam wished his own teacher was good like this.

“Do you want more cake, little prince?” Caroline asked Liam warmly, and he frowned.

“Am I allowed? What if there isn’t enough for Theo and Josh?”

“They ran away, and you’re the birthday boy.”

Liam nodded eagerly, and nearly an hour later, he was asleep at the dinner table, snoring softly. Liam had a knack for sleeping absolutely anywhere at anytime, especially when he was pleasantly full and his little tummy poked out just a tad more.

Jenna watched him fondly, glancing up at the other two royals at the table.

“Does he miss Matthew terribly?” Caroline asked softly, sympathy in her eyes. Jenna knew why she was asking. The notion of a boy this young, who already had so much pressure, growing up without a father was hardly a good one. Especially when his interactions with Jonathan seemed to suggest he missed a father figure.

“No.” Jenna said softly, listening to his soft snorts. “He was barely a year old when Matthew passed. Doesn’t remember him at all. But Matthew wasn’t much for fatherhood anyway, I doubt they’d have been close regardless.”

“He’s a good kid.” Jonathan said softly, “I’ve been trying to spend time with him to make up for how Theo is being...”

Jenna shook her head, “It’s just childhood rivalry. I’m sure in a few more years they’ll be the best of friends. But I appreciate the time you spend with him. It’s the most interest he’s ever shown in reading. Maybe you ought to have been a teacher.”

“I wanted to be.” He admitted, “But then I met my wife and well... Now I just read too much for my own good. But Liam is welcome to whatever he wants from the library. No matter how old he gets and how many of my favourites he steals.”

Jenna smiled, “I’m sure we’ll be here every year. You mark my words, one day, they’ll be thick as thieves. No one else will ever understand what they’ve been through like each other.”

“Like you and Caroline?” Jonathan asked, and Jenna smiled magnanimously.

“Exactly like Caroline and I.”

“How many years you think it’ll take?”

Jenna exchanged a look with Caroline.

“We were fourteen before we stopped competing with each other.” Caroline told him, letting a laugh slip.

“So we’re in for a long few years?” Jonathan asked tiredly, and the other two laughed along with him.

*

“Ugh. Why? This is stupid!” Liam grumbled, pulling at this stupid suit. “It’s too hot!”

“Because we want everyone to know we’re all friends here.” Jenna told him, fixing his tie with a smile. “And you look so handsome in this suit.”

“But we’re not friends.” Liam grumbled, “I hate him. He has stupid hair.”

“I know, honey, but the kingdoms don’t need to know that. You’re going to pretend to be the best of friends for the good of your people.”

“How does this help them?” Liam whined, “Shouldn’t I warn them their prince is a mean bully?”

“No, honey. He’ll grow out of it. He’s just not used to making new friends.”

“Probably because he’s a disney villain.” Liam grumbled again, pouting up at his Mom.

“That’s a fancy word you got there.”

“King Jon taught it to me.”

She smiled softly, “King Jon is very good to you.”

An hour later, Liam and Theo were sat side by side in a carriage, waving at the little parade of people with smiles on their faces. Liam just kept telling himself he got to leave soon. He could go home and sit in his room and invite Mason over or Brett, maybe. He could go home and forget he ever met the stupid prince.

Still, he couldn’t resist jabbing at him. “You look stupid today.” Liam mumbled, still smiling, waving his hand.

“You look ugly today.” Theo answered back just as quickly, and the two shot each other momentary glares. “Go home already.”

“I’m trying.”

By the time they got back to the plane, by the time they were ready to leave, Liam decided he’d never met anyone more than he hated Prince Theo. Prince Theo was mean and had dumb hair. Liam should be allowed to play with him and Josh too.

“Ready to go home?” Jenna asked him as they affixed their seatbelts.

“I don’t wanna come here again.” Liam told her seriously, before promptly falling right to sleep for the entire flight home.


	2. Age Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo are ten and eleven now, respectively, and still no closer to being the friends their parents want them to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye chapter 2! I hope you guys are enjoying this thus far! I fully intend for the first five chapters to all be different age brackets, but after that it'll be a bit more consistent!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave any/all feedback!

“No one’s forcing you to invite him.” Theo grumbled sarcastically, while his mother only shook her head.

“Yes, your passion is inspiring Theo, but Liam is coming and you will have to accept it.” She told him, brushing a blonde curl back behind her ear.

“Do I? He’s the worst, Mum. Last year he set my phone in jelly! My phone!”

Caroline didn’t even bother trying to look sympathetic, she simply smiled amusedly. “Yes, and what did you do to deserve that, my love?”

“I just cut his hair in his sleep, Mum. Hair grows back. Phones don’t.”

Caroline gave him a smile like he was stupid and Theo frowned at her. Of course she’d take his side. Everyone just loved Liam. Probably because he was a loser and everyone felt sorry for him.

“He was only nine at the time, Theo. Frankly it was quite clever.”

Theo scoffed. “Of course you’d take his side. It’s because of those stupid eyes. He gives you all those puppy eyes and you’re all just so, so sure he’s all sunshine and roses.”

“I’m not taking anyone’s side.” Caroline offered, “You’re mean to each other, and you should both stop. However, since you both insist on creating chaos in our home every summer, I may as well take some amusement from it.”

“Take amusement from my pranks then.”

“We agreed no more pranks, Theodore.”

“Don’t call me Theodore in front of him. He’d never ever leave me alone about it!” Theo insisted, jumping to his feet.

“Sure... I won’t refer to you as His Royal Highness Theodore Albert Edmund Harold Raeken if you agree to hug him when you greet.”

Theo stared at her, scandalised. “Mom! What did I do to make you hate me so much?” The eleven year old basically yelled.

“I don’t hate you. I just have to use what little leverage I have over you whilst I still have it. Be nice. One day, you might be glad to have him as a friend.”

Theo rolled his eyes. Didn’t these people understand? Theo didn’t need Liam as a friend. He had Josh. And his cousin Hayden. And... well, he had them. He didn’t understand what else he could possibly need. From Liam, no less. The younger prince was annoying. He was always sucking up to Theo’s dad, and he had everyone convinced he was so nice and sweet, only he wasn’t. He participated in their prank wars just as much as Theo did. Theo had the photos of his whipped cream covered bed to prove it. Yet his parents just laughed it off. He was never going to need Liam, because he and Liam weren’t friends. They weren’t anything except unwilling cellmates.

“We’re not friends. He’s more Dad’s friend than mine.” Theo didn’t like how bitter his voice sounded, but it was true.

“Because you’re never friendly to him, Theo.” She argued, shaking her head.

“I’m smarter than him, and taller, and older. Why does everyone like him better than me?” Theo grumbled, his insecurity seeping through.

“No one likes him better, Theo. He’s just friendlier than you.”

*

Theo didn’t see why he had to be at the strip to welcome Liam. He liked Jenna, she was funny and always complimented his hair, but she brought her little gross son with her, and Theo didn’t like him.

This stupid landing strip was boiling anyway, and the cameras were so posed he knew there’d be pictures of this everywhere. Best friends Prince Liam and Prince Theo, they’d say. Reunited as they were every year.

It was insulting, that they thought they’d be best friends.

Liam looked better in photos, but still. Not like Theo did.

When Liam stepped off the plane, Theo could see those stupid blue eyes from across the strip. He’d come to associate that colour blue with sheer annoyance, which was made worse by it being the blue of the sky on a nice day. He looked uncomfortable in the suit, which was a little too big, and Theo was kind of glad, since he looked awkward in his own too. He’d grown too much recently.

He was speaking under his breath to Jenna, and Theo had no doubt Liam was saying something bad about him. When Liam got to the ground, Theo had an awful realisation. Liam was taller than him. Liam was never taller than him. Liam had no right to be taller than him.  
Theo hated him.

He barely looked any different than he did when they had first met a few years ago, but Theo hated him just as much. They were forced to spend every summer together, and Theo would much rather be doing just about anything else. But he had had a stern talking to about letting Liam play with them this year. Josh was going to be spending most of the time with him, so at least he wouldn't be stuck with Liam alone the whole time.

Liam avoided his eyes, which somehow only annoyed him more, because if he was going to crash his summer every year of his life, he should at least be nice about it, Theo thought. It wasn't his fault they were stuck doing this, he wouldn't have chosen it.

Liam walked towards him and Theo fixed him with a death glare. Liam was younger than him. How was he taller? He was only ten and Theo was eleven! He was so much older and more mature than Liam was!

Theo stared at the taller boy, and his father nudged him forward. People were watching, cameras were pointed, and Theo desperately didn't want to hug Liam.

He let out a deep sigh, hoping looks could kill, and Liam looked awkward, hiding behind longer hair. He looked awkward and unsure, and Theo was secretly a bit happy about it, because he knew he always looked confident. Theo took a step forward, pulling Liam into an awkward and ill timed hug.

Liam nearly fell forward into him and Theo smirked a little. "I don't like you." Theo mumbled into the hug, and he heard Liam sigh.

"I don't like you either."

When the two of them pulled back, they both affixed stupid fake smiles to their faces and waited until their parents let them go inside, so that they could stop pretending they were friends, especially when they had never really stopped loathing the time they spent together.

"Why couldn't Mason come?" Theo heard Liam asking his mother, his eyes big. Theo rolled his own eyes, already sick of the younger boy's whining.

"You're here to spend time with Theo." Jenna told him fondly, and Liam sighed back at her, before glaring backward at Theo.

"I don't want to spend time with Theo, he's mean." Liam argued, "Can't Mason come? You could send the plane back for him. His Mom would let him come, she even said so when I asked."

Jenna let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. "Maybe." She said slowly, "Maybe after a few weeks. You have to spend some time with Theo first. Just like Josh isn't allowed to join you both for the first few weeks."

Theo didn't know who Mason was, but if he was friends with Liam, Theo probably didn't like him. He was sure Josh was better. Probably taller too.

"How about one week?" Liam asked, hopeful.

"Shh now, we'll talk about this more later." She said quickly, patting Liam's head as they walked across the lawn of Theo's castle towards the house. Once they were inside, they could go on hating each other, Liam could go on being Theo's Dad's favourite, and Theo could go on whittling down the time until Josh could come and they could ignore Liam in privacy.

*

"Ow!" Theo shouted when Liam kneed him in the lower back.

"Maybe if you moved over, I wouldn't have to kick you." Liam grumbled, yanking at the blankets. Theo was, to be fair, laying on the edge of his, to take as much of the blankets as he possibly could.

"Maybe if you weren't so stupid sized, I wouldn't have to hog the bed."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"You don't make any sense."

"Stop hogging the blankets, Theo." Liam grumbled, shoving at his back to try to push him off the bed.

"Stop hogging my house, Liam."

Theo didn't understand why Liam had to be here at all. All he would do was go off and sit in the library with Theo's dad for six weeks. If, and when, he played with Theo, they only fought and then he went running off back to Theo's Dad, like a kid who couldn't handle his own fights. The King didn't even like him, but he loved Liam, and that just didn't seem fair. The only thing Liam was that Theo wasn't was quiet.

Theo kinda wished they could go to Liam's place one summer, maybe then Theo could make Liam's dad like him better.

Theo knew Liam had no idea what was going on in his head, but he didn't really care much. He was too busy stewing. "Bet your Dad would like me better than you if I was allowed in your castle one summer."

Liam went still for a moment, blinking at the ceiling. Theo was smug for a minute, figuring that meant he'd gotten to Liam. He rolled away, breathing heavily and for a moment, Theo thought maybe he was laughing.

But then the sound changed in the quiet, and Theo's eyes widened. "Hey, Dumbar, there's nothing to... get upset about..." He said, panicking.

"Leave me alone," Liam mumbled, and Theo realised he was crying. Dammit, he didn't mean to do that. His parents would kill him. And he wasn't actually trying to make Liam cry, he was just trying to bother him.

"I'm-- I'm sorry." Theo hurried, confused. "I'm sure your Dad wouldn't actually like me better." He had no idea why Liam would care so much what Theo thought Liam's Dad would think. Theo's own Dad didn't even like him, why would Liam's? Maybe Liam's Dad didn't like him either?

Liam rounded on him, his blue eyes big and angry, even in the dark. Theo wasn't sure what he did, he had thought it was a pretty bad insult, actually. He had tried to come up with something, but it had been more of an insult to himself really-- he was just admitting that his Dad liked Liam. Though Theo didn't know why, Liam was annoying. Just because he liked reading... Theo didn't like reading, but he was good at reading. He was pretty sure he was the smarter one.

"Just... just... shut up!" Liam yelled, though his voice didn't sound that angry. He got out of bed and, still wearing his Iron Man pyjamas, ran out of the room as quickly as he'd come.

Liam had only been here a few days, and Theo had already managed to wreck everything. He had been planning to do that, but not so quickly. He was meaning to at least take a few weeks to make Liam scream at him again. It happened every year, but normally not so quickly. 

Knowing Theo's luck, any minute now, his father would be in his room screaming at him, and Theo would just have to sit there and listen, because none of it was untrue, and because his Dad wouldn't hear any protests anyway.

After a moment, Theo followed him out of the room, fixing his shark pyjamas as he went. 

"Dumbar?" He whisper-yelled into the darkness. Liam barely knew his way around the castle, even now, and if he got lost and became a skeleton or something, Theo would never be allowed to see Josh again.

"Hey, Liam?" He called, sneaking through the halls.

When he heard a creak behind him, Theo jumped, nearly falling over a side table.

He turned, but found only his dog approaching him, tail wagging. How had Walter even gotten out of his bedroom? And why was he following him in the middle of the night? Theo stopped to pat the dog, but then went on walking again, Walter following tiredly at his side. His Mum said Walter was an old dog, but Theo thought he seemed like a baby most of the time. He still wanted to run and play with Theo, so Theo wasn't too worried.

But really, if Liam had any sense of where he was going at all, Theo was pretty sure he knew where he would go.

The library always creeped him out-- it was big and dusty and shadowy, he hated going in there, especially at night. He didn't like going in there, and he didn't understand why Liam would choose to go there, especially at night.

He steeled himself to go in, trying to decide if it was worth risking getting eaten to not be allowed to have Josh over for the last three weeks of the summer. Finally, he decided it was worth it and held his breath, pushing the heavy door open. A draft hit him, and Theo wondered if it was always that cold in here. Maybe because it was a home for vampires. Liam could be a vampire, maybe. Maybe his Dad made Liam a vampire and that was why they liked each other so much.

"Liam?" He called out, clearing his voice when he realised that he sounded scared. "Um, Dumbar?"

"Go away." Theo looked around for the source of the noise.

"Come back, you'll get eaten if you stay in here over night." Theo called out, looking around nervously, half waiting for a monster to come out of the dark.

"Go away, Theo." Liam called out again, and Theo placed the sound. He was up on that stupid little balcony, and Theo might be game to come in here, but he wasn't going climbing up there in the dark. He didn't even like going up there during the day.

"Fine. Suit yourself." Theo turned and walked off, Walter coming along with him, Theo glad for his company. If Liam wanted to die in there, Theo would let him. It wasn't his fault. Theo didn't know why he was so upset about his Dad. It wasn't like Theo had ever met his Dad before.

*

"I don't know, he just stormed off," Theo defended, shaking his head.

"He just stormed off? In the middle of the night? To sleep in the library?" Caroline asked, her brows raised, shaking her head. She loved her son, really she did, but she kept hoping he'd grow out of this phase. Grow out of being mean to another little boy just for the sake of it. She always got the sense it was a place of jealousy, though she hadn't ever been able to sense why.

"Yes!" Her son argued, his arms folded, an aggressive pout on his lips.

"Sweetheart... that makes no sense. I know you and Prince Liam don't always get along, but he's a nice boy. And one day, you might be thankful to have a friend who knows what it's like to be like you."

"I don't want him here, Mum. I didn't ask for a prince friend, I have friends already. Josh would come spend the summer if he was allowed. Tracy would too. Even cousin Hayden--"

She sighed, shaking her head. "Theo." She cut him off, and his big green eyes stared up at her. He had an early smattering of freckles across his nose which would surely only grow darker as the summer went on and Theo spent more time in the sun. "This is non-negotiable. If you want Josh to come over this summer, or any summer for that matter, you will be nice to Prince Liam. Do you understand me?"

Theo shrunk back a little. Caroline was never too harsh on him, and perhaps that was her problem as a parent. She had struggled to have children at all, and Theo had been such a blessing to them. It was hard for her to be harsh on him, particularly when she knew he struggled with social boundaries at times. But she needed to be-- and she was trying harder, for Liam's sake. And for the sake of her son, who needed the discipline. Jon was good with discipline, but he would've handled it far harsher than Caroline would.

"Fine."

Caroline nodded once and turned to leave the room, pushing a curl of hair back over her shoulder. She was halfway out the door when Theo stopped her.

"Mum?" He asked softly, and Caroline turned. She could still see him as that little boy, the one she had cradled in her arms and sung to sleep. He was growing, but he was still her son. He was still her baby. "How come Liam's Dad never comes to stay with Jenna?"

Caroline hadn't really talked much to Theo about death. He had been lucky never to have to experience it before, and while Caroline herself had, and to great lengths, she tried to shield Theo from it. Still, he was eleven now, and he was probably old enough to understand this. "Liam's Dad passed away when Liam was still a little boy." She explained, brushing his hair back.

Theo stared up at her, obviously confused, as if trying to piece something together in his mind. "So Liam doesn't have a Dad? Is that we he likes my Dad so much?"

Caroline offered him a small smile. She hoped this would make Theo a little more likely to be nice to Liam, if nothing else. "Very possibly." She said with a nod, "Jon tries to help as much as he can, since Liam doesn't have a Dad back home."

"So then Liam won't have any little brothers or sisters?" He asked slowly.

"Probably not, no." Caroline answered again.

Theo nodded once more, before turning back to sit on his bed again, his expression thoughtful.

*

"Uno." Liam said brightly, and Theo just glared at him.

He looked at Josh expectantly, hoping Josh would have a card to stop Liam from winning. Liam shouldn't be allowed to win anything, he was too busy being everyone's favourite anyway. Even the townspeople loved him, every year they were forced to go for walks and every year, people fawned all over him. They said how cute and smart he was, and they ignored Theo. He was their actual prince, Liam was just a guest.

Josh swallowed, then put down an uno reverse card, going back to Theo. Theo was glad, because he had a +4 and it really seemed like Liam deserved it.

Liam sighed, before putting down another +4 on the top.

"What?!" Theo shouted, "That's not fair! You can't end the turn on a +4! That's cheating, you have to end on a proper card!"

"Wait, that is a proper card," Liam argued, his eyes wide and confused. "I won. Don't be a sore loser."

"You always win." Theo groaned, "But this isn't fair. You can't end on that card."

While they argued, Josh pulled out the rules from their little box, going through them thoughtfully. "No." He said finally, shrugging his shoulders, "It's allowed. You can end on that card."

Theo shot a glare in Josh's direction, and he held his hands up in surrender. "It's true, read it yourself."

Liam shot Josh a grateful smile, and Josh smiled back a little, and the whole thing irritated Theo to no end. Josh was his best friend, it wasn't fair for everybody in his life to like Liam better than they liked him.

"Not fair." Theo grumbled, shaking his head. "Let's play something else. I don't feel like playing Uno anymore."

He got to his feet, and Josh got up behind him. "What are we going to play now?"

"Piggy in the middle." Theo said with a shrug.

Liam's brows raised. "What?"

"Piggy in the middle. You can be the pig." Josh shifted uncomfortable, and Liam still looked confused, and Theo had no idea why, because what self respecting eleven year old hadn't played piggy in the middle. Did Liam just not have two friends in the world or something?

"I don't know what that is." Liam told him, looking to Josh as if he was a lifeline. Theo sneered at it. Josh was his best friend, not Liam's.

"You stand in the middle and we throw the ball and you can't get it."

"... Monkey in the middle?" Liam asked, brows pinching in the middle.

An hour later, the three stood out in the garden, and Theo was really glad Josh was better at this game than him, because Liam was taller than him now and it was harder for Theo to keep the ball away from him, try though he might. And he tried.

For the most part, Liam had been 'it' for at least half the game, and Theo for the other half. Theo was getting a little too into it, and so was Liam, and if they weren't careful, somebody was going to end up with a black eye, especially with tensions rising steadily.

In fact, they were right up in each others' faces when their mothers stepped out, calling a break in their anger for a moment to announce that Mason was there.

He was about Liam's height -- not fair -- and seemed confused as to how he got to be standing here at all. Theo thought that was fair, since he wasn't sure how he'd ended up with Liam and Liam's weird friend staying with them. But hey, at least Liam would stick with Mason now and leave Theo alone. That could be fine, he decided.

Liam took off running across their big garden, and Theo realised he'd never seen him this happy before. He was fast too, Theo realised. Josh seemed to be looking at Theo like he was unsure what to do for a moment, before he walked after Liam, presumably going to meet Liam's friend to be nice. Theo sighed and then went after them as well, arms folded casually across his chest.

Before Theo even got halfway there, Liam's arms were wrapped tightly around Mason, and Mason's wrapped tightly back around him. Liam had Mason off the ground in a huge hug and the two of them were muttering to each other. Theo stared, trying to figure out what was going on. It had only been weeks since they'd last seen each other, hadn't it?

Even he and Josh weren't that bad.

"Who's this?" Theo asked loudly, hating to be left out of anything.

"Mason." Liam answered brightly, basically bouncing where he stood. Theo glared at him. "This is my best friend from home. He's a Marquess. His dad's a Duke."

"I know what a Marquess is." Theo snapped, staring Mason down. Why did Liam need to bring a friend anyway? He already had Theo and Josh here, and sure, maybe they teased him sometimes, but he didn't see why Mason should come here. Why did Liam get to bring a friend? Wasn't his job to come here and learn to be friends with Theo anyway?

Mason smiled and held a hand out, almost shyly. Theo frowned at him, but took his hand awkwardly, shaking it quickly and letting go straight away. "Theo. I'm going to be a King one day." He held his chin up higher.

"I know." Mason answered, glancing at Liam. The two of them exchanged a look and Theo frowned.

"Do you want to play piggy in the middle with us?" Josh asked, before waving a hello at Mason.

"What?" Mason asked.

"Monkey in the middle."

Theo hated this. He walked back off towards the lawn with a second glance. At least Liam would leave him alone now. That was what Theo had always wanted since they first met five years ago, for Liam to just go away. Now, they could amuse themselves and sleep in another room and Theo and Josh could have sleepovers.

*

"Why?" Josh asked, frowning.

"Why not?" Theo asked, walking ahead of him, arms folded over his chest.

He could basically hear Josh's cogs turning, but Theo barely acknowledged it, lost in his own thoughts. "Because you hate him."

"Yeah, I know."

"So... why don't we just leave them alone...? We can play games on our own."

Theo frowned. If Liam was going to be in his house, he shouldn't be allowed to just run off on his own. He walked off towards the library, fairly certain that was where Liam would be. That was where he always was anyway, and since they were going home in a few days, Theo figured it was probably time for him to bother Liam again.

“Just... come on.”

When he got to the library, sure enough, there Liam was. Cross legged on the little balcony he slept on that one night, Walter asleep in his lap, Mason across from him. They weren’t talking, simply reading together.

“Don’t you guys ever do anything fun?” Theo asked, kicking the wheeled ladder away from their little balcony, glaring at them.

“Put the ladder back.” Liam said quickly, getting to his feet.

“Why? You two never come down from there anyway.”

“We can’t get down, Theo, bring it back.” Liam argued, obviously getting angrier. That only amused Theo, who smiled sarcastically at him.

“Or what...?”

“Why is he doing this?” Theo caught Mason asking Liam quietly, but Liam didn’t answer, and Theo only smirked at them both.

“Or...” Liam stared at him a moment, angrily, before the idea seemed to hit him. He threw the book in his grip directly at Theo, where it hit him square in the face.

*

“Be nice.” Caroline told her son quickly, shaking her head as she ushered him towards the door.

The eleven year old at her side shot her a glare, and Caroline only smiled sadly. Though it pained her to see her son with a black eye, he was hardly innocent in the goings on, and Caroline understood that Liam hadn’t meant to hit him. Plus, he would’ve been hurt far worse had he tried to jump down because Theo trapped him up there.

“Why should I? Everyone’s going to see my eye.”

Liam and Jenna walked towards them, the traditional photo that was taken at the end of their visit having to be snapped. Josh and Mason stood back, and Caroline wondered why they could form a friendship but their sons couldn’t. Still, Liam looked just as annoyed, the brown on his own cheek starting to yellow out.

Caroline maintained that they’d be glad to have each other one day, she just hoped they didn’t kill each other first.

Caroline nudged Theo forward, which was a tradition in and of itself and Theo went, grumbling as he did.

He and Liam stared each other down for a moment, then hugged, as they had to at the beginning and end of each summer, neither of them particularly thrilled about the experience. Caroline watched the two of them snipe at each other, the same shit they always said, year in year out.

Jenna approached her and Caroline smiled. “They’ll get there,” The other Queen said with a fond smile. “They have years to realise what a virtue it is to have a friend and an ally in another country.” She patted Caroline’s shoulder warmly, and the taller woman nodded.

“I know. Hopefully they don’t break each other first.”


	3. Age Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo are thirteen and fourteen, respectively. They're learning, slowly, how to deal with their competitiveness and frustration towards each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three, here we go! I'm way too invested in this, so there's a chance we're going at new chapter every day speed :') 
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave any/all feedback!

“Do I have to?” Liam asked with a sigh. “I mean, I know, it’s tradition or whatever. But I’m a teenager now and I’ve got my own friends and my own life and Prince Theo and I never liked each other anyways.”

“You were boys then. You’re young men now, things will be better.” Jenna answered with a roll of her eyes.

“Why does David get to get out of it? If I have to go, surely he does too. And why can’t I bring Mason or Brett or Corey? Theo always has Josh there.”

“Josh won’t be there this year. David isn’t getting out of it, he’s just coming later because of work.” Jenna told him, and Liam glanced up at her. They went through this every year, it was almost as much a tradition as the trip itself, and Liam didn’t see why they should skip such an important tradition.

Especially if there was any chance of him getting out of it.

“Perhaps you can show Theo your new Polo skills. I’m sure he’d be learning as well. And you’ve gotten very good.”

“Only because David is very good.” Liam grumbled back, “And we’d need Josh and Mason to play that. Why can’t they come this year?”

“Stop it, Liam. Get some sleep. You’ve only got a few hours left till we arrive and it’s going to be a long day. You two are old enough now to start doing some press together.”

"Press? What, like interviews and stuff? Like we have to pretend to be friends? To people? Who are going to watch us and try to figure it out?"

"Go to sleep, Liam." Jenna responded

Liam didn't sleep, and the whole rest of the trip he just stared at the ceiling, knowing it'd be a miserable year. Without Theo being distracted by Josh, he'd almost definitely be bothering him the entire time. What's more, Liam didn't really want to see Theo because he knew he'd be mocked. He knew he was gangly and awkward. He knew he was sort of unbalanced and looked every bit the awkward thirteen year old he was, totally regardless of whether he was a prince or not. Puberty didn't care.

He just wanted to text his friends or something, but Liam knew he couldn't do that in mid air, so he wound up just thinking throughout the whole flight. On the slightly brighter side, he'd get to see Walter again. And Jon, who Liam actually really liked talking to about books.

But he also knew Theo would probably know his grades had slipped (Theo seemed to somehow know everything), and as much as Liam loved reading, and as hard as he tried, he found it harder every year to concentrate, and with all the responsibility he had, things just slipped through his fingers sometimes. He was trying his hardest, but it was a lot for him.

He tried to be a good student, to be a good prince, but he wasn't. Which was part of the reason he hated Theo so much. As hard as Liam had to try for absolutely everything, it always just seemed to come easily to Theo. He was better with people for the most part, better at maintaining his composure in public, people seemed to like him better. And he was smarter.

As soon as Liam actually got off the plane, actually saw him, he knew his worrying hadn't been in vain. While Liam still looked like an awkward kid, not yet grown into his features, not yet past the gawky and clumsy phases of his youth, Theo already looked far more grown. His skin was clear, he was a lot taller than Liam, and his suit fit him a lot better. Liam was pretty sure he had been right to hate Theo as much as he did, all of a sudden.

Theo, for his part, looked smug and calm. He looked at Liam like, rather than being annoyed to see him, Liam was something amusing. Like bait or something. Liam hated it, it made his skin itch. He wasn't looking forward to being mocked for another six weeks.

"Dunbar." He said, nodding towards Liam. Liam had his hands folded neatly behind his back, but he no longer glanced up at his mother for support. Nor did Theo. They had both long since figured out that they had no choice, and that they would have to do this like it or not.

"Raeken." Liam answered as stiffly, and the two did what they always had to do. They made their way towards each other, awkwardly maintaining eye contact. Things always wound up getting heated, and the two teenagers were rarely willing to let their guard down around each other at this point.

They awkwardly enclosed their arms around each other in a stiff hug. "Are you getting shorter, Dunbar?" Theo asked, his tone less spiteful than usual, almost like he was going through the motions.

"Are you getting douchier, Raeken?" Liam asked back into his ear. That was also a ritual in and of itself, they couldn't hug without insulting each other into it, a habit they had never been able to break. Or maybe that they had never tried to break. Either or.

When they pulled back, they gave each other matching smarmy smiles, full of disdain and frustration. This was their ninth year of spending six weeks a year together, and only their second without any other friends there to soften the blow between them. Which meant this was six weeks of them only being "friends" alone. Six weeks of no buffer, no escape and nothing in common.

"Want to go... ride horses?" Theo suggested awkwardly, and the two of them immediately walked off, leaving their mothers there alone to talk.

There was a long and awkward silence between them, when Liam finally asked, "So... how's Josh?"

"Fine. I thought he kept in contact with you and Mason?" He didn't even look in Liam's direction, just kept on walking casually, and Liam wished he could look cool walking along. He was clumsy and awkward, and it was only annoying that Theo did everything so easily. No matter how hard Liam tried, he couldn't seem to accomplish that.

Liam swallowed, "Yeah, we do. But I, uh, still haven't seen him in a year. Why isn't he coming?"

Theo glanced up at Liam finally. His green eyes locked on Liam and Liam glanced away immediately, apparently unable or unwilling to withstand the gaze at this point. "We're not up to entertaining multiple people this year. You and your mother are enough."

"Oh." Liam nodded awkwardly, folding his arms over his chest. "I don't want to be here, y'know." Liam said slowly, and Theo laughed in response. How did he have such an adept way of making Liam feel completely stupid?

"I know." He said casually, moving towards the stable. Liam had been there a few times before over the years, but he never quite got used to Theo's castle. Or just Theo's presence. They were so awkward around each other. Or at least Liam was, Theo always seemed a little too at ease.

"Do you always have to laugh at me?" Liam asked, blue eyes flicking up to Theo, who was in the process of moving towards the back of the stable, to where Liam knew his riding clothes to be kept. Liam didn't have his own on him, but he was fine to ride in what he was wearing, sans the suit jacket, leaving him suit pants, a dress shirt and his vest.

Theo shut himself in the little room in the back for a moment, and Liam leaned against the wall, waiting for him to return so they could go riding. At least that way, they wouldn't have to talk to each other.

"I don't have to." Theo called from in the back room, "I _choose_ to."

"And being a dick? Isn't it tiring...?" The thirteen year old asked, brows raised sarcastically. He knew Theo couldn't see him, but he couldn't help it. The older boy drove him crazy.

Theo pushed the door open again, walking past Liam as if it was nothing. "Nope, just naturally gifted at it. And you make it easy for me, you're a great target."

Liam jogged after him, already irritated. Only a year between them and Theo was already so much cooler. He was an asshole, to the fullest extent of the word, but he was cool. He walked with purpose and that stupid smirk never left his face.

A little while later, the two were situated on their horses, and Liam was convinced it wasn’t an accident that Liam had ended up with the smallest horse they had. Theo’s smirk did nothing to deter that thought, and while they had come a ways from the Theo that used outright exclude him from games, they seemed never to be done poking at each other. Liam just wished he could win more often.

“This is the weirdest dick measuring competition ever.” Liam grumbled to himself as they rode.

Theo glanced back at him, face scrunched. “Ew. I don’t want to catch whatever loser disease you’ve got.”

“I’m not—“ Liam groaned, “I’m not hitting on you! That’s gross.” Though Liam had begun to notice the girls around school, he certainly wasn’t game enough to try to get close to any of them, and Theo was like, his least favourite person. He definitely wouldn’t want to go see a movie with him.

And really, the idea of even being so close to someone he liked made him nervous and sweaty. He was just a kid— he wasn’t ready for all that. He was happy to just talk to his friends about girls and boys they saw and liked.

Chances were, Liam wouldn’t be allowed to seriously see any girl from his school anyway.

Theo snickered, but didn't say anything else. Apparently his yearly bullying had been reduced to just waiting for Liam to say something stupid and awkward and then laugh at him for it, which inevitably just made him say something more stupid and more awkward.

"So, my mum said you played polo?" Theo said casually, as if he was trying to make some effort to talk, though that alone sort of surprised Liam.

Liam glanced up at him, brows raising slightly. Did Theo want to talk to him or not? Because Liam would've preferred to just ride in silence if it was going to be awkward the entire time.

"Um... yeah. I guess I'm supposed to or something. Mom says it's some kind of a right of passage." Liam said slowly.

"Bet I'm better than you."

Liam rolled his eyes. Okay, that sounded more like Theo. Competitive to an absolute fault. He always hated it whenever Liam was better than him at anything, which, frankly, made Liam want to beat him at absolutely everything. So, okay, maybe Liam was competitive too, but how could he not be? Ever since the day he'd met Theo, Theo had done nothing but try to fight him, and Liam was nothing if not willing to fight back.

When he'd been a kid, he'd been more shy, more afraid. And, hell, he kinda still was now, especially since Theo was way taller than him, and looked much more like an older teen than Liam himself, who still sort of resembled a lanky child. But shy and afraid or not, he was never going to take it lying down. The older he got, the more it all annoyed him, and the harder he found it to keep from biting back at Theo, and worse.

"Bet you're also way more annoying while playing it." Liam said flatly, "Just like you are in absolutely everything else you do."

"Ah, yes. I know you find me annoying. It must be difficult to always be around a better version of yourself. But don't worry, I'm more mature than that. Maybe when you're my age, you'll understand."

How could one small human being be so smarmy? Liam glared at him, fighting the urge to reach out and push him off his horse. "You're one year older than me, Prince Stupid."

"A year can actually be a lot of time though, when you think about it." Theo answered casually, sitting up a little straighter. "For instance, I'm much taller than you. And smarter. And better looking."

Liam took a sharp breath, "For someone who hates me so much, you sure spend a lot of time comparing yourself to me." This was sort of an ironic insult for Liam to throw, considering he also spent a lot of time comparing those things, but to be fair, Theo had started this. Liam had only ever wanted to be friends.

Theo scoffed, "I don't have to think about it. It's immediately apparent."

"How hard are you trying to sound smart right now?" Liam asked, rolling his eyes.

"Don't have to try."

"But you are."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before Liam's horse bucked up. Liam didn't see whatever startled Doodlebug, but in a moment, Liam was on the ground, confused and disoriented.

He reached a hand up to his nose, feeling a drip of blood there. He couldn't recall what he'd hit it -- or his head -- on, but he was dazed and a bit dizzy.

A moment later, Theo was leaning over him, eyes wide. "What the fuck happened?" He asked, only seeming somewhat concerned.

"Language," Liam mumbled under his breath, his hand wiping at his nose and at his temple, trying to figure out what had happened.

"Language?" Theo repeated, letting out a laugh of disbelief. "You just fell of a horse and hit your head and you're mad at me for saying fuck?"

"Language." Liam repeated with a grumble, and Theo pulled him back up into a sitting up position, on his knees beside Liam.

"Are you okay? You're bleeding." Theo said quickly, awkwardly.

"I'm fine." Liam answered, pulling himself to his feet. When he stumbled slightly, Theo caught him by the upper arm, holding onto him tightly.

"You don't look fine. Everyone's going to assume I hit you or something. Or knocked you off the horse. Which... I didn't, obviously. But... um, are you okay? We should take your back to your Mum."

"I'm fine." Liam repeated, going back over to Doodlebug and reaching up to stroke the horse's nose, to try to calm her down. Liam wasn't sure what had happened, but he figured the horse hadn't meant it. She had seemed spooked, and though Liam didn't know Doodlebug that well, he had ridden her a few times before, and she had always been good to him.

"Woah, no." He heard Theo saying, actually sounding worried for once. "You can't get back on a horse the way you are now, you'll hurt yourself."

"I'm already hurt, it'll be fine. I've been riding since I could walk." Liam said, fitting his shoe in the saddle and getting ready to get back on.

"No." Theo said again quickly, frowning. "You can ride with me. We can tie the horses together and Doodlebug can walk alongside Lasagna."

"Absolutely not." Liam said quickly. "I mean, hell no. I am not going to ride with you like your child or something. No."

"Oh, fuck off, Dunbar. Don't be a baby, I'd probably get hanged for treason or something if I let your ride again and you died. And frankly, I don't have the energy to tell your Mum that you're dead so... just get on the fucking horse please."

"Language." Liam repeated, shaking his head, "And it's hung."

"No, it isn't. It's hanged. Hung is for a picture, hanged is for people." Theo snapped back just as quickly, and Liam hated him for it.

"I'm not getting on your horse."

"Liam, I swear to god, I will knock you out and put you on the horse." Theo threatened, stepping closer to him. Liam sort of believed him too, considering he was far taller than Liam, and looked a lot older these days. "I don't want your Mum to kill me."

"My mom isn't going to kill you." Liam scoffed, shaking his head. "And since when do you call me Liam?"

"Get on the horse, Dunbar." Theo was staring down at Liam, and Liam thought they were getting dangerously close to both ending up with black eyes. Again.

"Or what?"

"I already told you. I'll knock you out and take you back and your mother will think I'm a saint for helping you. Just get on Lasagna. She's the better horse anyway."

Liam took a sharp breath. "I prefer Doodlebug."

"Is it because she's short like you?"

“Well, now I’m definitely not getting on your horse.” Liam scoffed, moving closed to Doodlebug again, who was quite happily grazing where they stood. It was pretty, actually, the area. Liam had been too busy arguing with Theo to notice, but his kingdom was nice. It was a shame their crown prince sucked.

Theo took a deep breath, pacing for a quick second before he spoke again. “Please, Dunbar.” His voice was a little less combative now, and Liam wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Theo say please in nine years of this bullshit.

He turned to eye Theo, annoyed. The boys eyes looked greener with the expanse of grass surrounding them, and his hair was blown off his face. He was the prince Liam wanted to be, only more of an asshole, and it set his teeth on edge. It had been since he was five years old, and it seemed to only get worse with age.

“If you ever tell anyone, I’ll kill you.”

“That’s treason.” Theo snarked instantly, and when Liam opened his mouth to argue, he held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, sorry!” He said quickly. “Get on the horse.”

Liam frowned, annoyed, but nodded, Getting his foot into Lasagna’s stirrup and sitting at the back of the saddle.

He watched Theo attach Doodlebug’s reins to Lasagna’s, before he turned to climb onto the horse.

When Theo was safely seated in front of him, Liam was balanced behind, arms locked tightly at his own sides, trying to avoid touching Theo as aggressively as he could. The older teenager was annoying enough when Liam wasn’t sitting behind him.

“Put your arms around me or you’re going to fall off.” Theo scoffed, already seemed annoyed as he got ready to begin the ride back to the castle.

“I’d rather fall off.” Liam answered instantly, without missing a beat.

“Dunbar, I swear—“ Theo began to argue, and Liam rolled his eyes, forcing himself to shove past his own discomfort and annoyance enough to put his arms around Theo’s middle to stay on the horse. He hated it here, and he was sure Theo would mock him for it later, not to mention there’d almost certainly be photos in the paper and online soon. God, he hated this. He hated Theo. He wanted to hate Doodlebug, but he loved the horse too much to hate her, so he settled for pinning all his hate on Theo. Theo who was too tall and too smug and too damn annoying.

Liam kept his fists balled, resisting touching Theo in any way if he could avoid it. He was unstable, and probably squeezing his legs too tightly in an attempt to stay seated, but he’d be damned if he was going to give Theo the satisfaction of Liam acting like his useless kid on the back of his horse.

He stared off at the scenery, a grumpy pout on his face. No doubt Mason, Corey and Brett would text him pictures of this as soon as they were published. There were always photographers hanging around, and Liam had suspected that was why Theo suggested riding in the first place.

“You can put your head on my shoulder if you want. If you can reach.” Theo called back to Liam, and though Liam couldn’t see his face, he could practically feel the smirk. He wanted to push Theo off the horse altogether.

“Fuck you.”

Theo gasped, as if Liam had righteously offended him. “Language, Liam, please!”

*

Liam sat cross legged on his little balcony, looking down through the thin wooden slats, Jon seated at his desk below. They could see each other easily from here, and Liam liked Jon.

He spent less time with him as the years went on, because he normally had Theo, Josh and Mason hanging around. Sometimes even Theo’s cousin Hayden or Brett, if he was allowed to come. But still, Liam liked Jon.

It was the closest thing Liam had ever had to a real father son relationship, and he knew Jon liked it too. He would sit and tell Liam all about what he’d been reading.

And Jon read so much. Romance and horror and sci-fi. Pirates and thieves and heroes beyond measure. Liam wished he could read all of it one day, but he knew it would take him so long. He loved to read, but his concentration still struggled, and he didn’t always have Jon around to help. The King was busy, but every few months, he’d send Liam a book in the mail that he wanted the young prince to read.

Liam always read them, and emailed Jon his reviews.

“Did you finish it?”

“Yes.” Liam said slowly, hanging one leg out over the balcony and swinging it. He’d never been good at just sitting straight, he was always shifting and fidgeting.

“And?”

“Well... I liked it a lot. I always thought Frankenstein was the monster.” He admitted.

“Lots of people think that before they read it. But now you can be one of the guys who actually knows what they’re talking about. And a well read King is a good King.”

“It made me think of how... sometimes good people get twisted into something bad, y’know? Or like, how awful it is to be totally alone and to feel unloved.”

Jon smiled warmly, “I’m glad you took that from it. I think a lot of people only want to talk about the implications of playing God. I also think it’s much more about how terrible a fate it is to have a life without love.”

“So I read it right then?” Liam asked, hopefully.

“Well, there’s no right way to read, Liam. It’s all interpretation. But if you mean, did you read it the same as me, then yes.” He sounded proud, and Liam beamed back at him.

Liam grinned as Jon handed another book up to him, promising he would read that one next. He was already excited, Jon never really had given him anything he’d hated. But maybe Liam would like anything Jon gave him, just because he was excited Jon cared enough to pick something out for him.

“Where is my son right now?” Jon asked curiously, pushing his glasses up on his nose. Liam eyes him. He didn’t look much like Theo, really. Theo was all Caroline, Liam thought. The same ashy sort of brown hair, the same green eyes, the same round noses and round jaws. Jon was taller and darker, with dark circles around his eyes and a more drawn expression. He looked older than Caroline too— but maybe it was because he spent so much time reading in the dark.

“Don’t know.” Liam said with a casual shrug. “He hates me. He wouldn’t choose to come spend time with me.”

Jon sighed, his dark eyes meeting Liam’s blue, “He doesn’t hate you. He’s just not so good with people, really. Don’t take it personally, please, he’s not as... magnanimous as you are.”

“Magnanimous?” Liam asked, in the habit of asking Jon whenever he used a word Liam didn’t quite understand.

“It means, uh... empathetic and generous.” Jon explained with a small smile. Liam beamed back at him. He wouldn’t have considered himself magnanimous, but he was certainly fine with Jon calling him that.

"Oh." Liam said brightly, "Thank you." He wasn't sure he considered himself any of those things, but he was glad to know that Jon thought he was. He loved his mom, and he loved David, but he'd always looked up to Jon in a sort of a special way.

"No problem. Let me know when you finish that book, will you? I'm interested to know what you think of it."

Liam smiled up at Jon. He'd always sort of thought of himself as stupid, he wasn't good at focusing, nor at expressing his thoughts on things, even for as much as he loved to read, but Jon always treated him like he was smart. Like his opinion on things mattered. It made him feel more valuable. He wondered if that was why Theo had as much confidence as he did.

"How come you spend all your time in here?" Liam asked, smiling.

Jon glanced up, a little laugh escaping him, tapping his fingers on the desk in front of him. "I like it here. It's quiet. I wasn't born into royalty, I married into it. Caroline is far more the Queen than I ever will be a King." He explained with a smile, "For the most part, I let her handle things. I prefer to read and she is far more... magnanimous than I ever have been."

Liam nodded, smiling down at him. "What were you before?" He asked, curious.

"Technically? I was Viscount. But really in name only, since a lot of those customs stopped mattering a long time ago and my father really handled all the formality of everything."

Liam smiled, interested, "So what were you going to do before you met Caroline?"

"I was going to be an author." Jon admitted with a smile, "Or perhaps a literature teacher. You're helping me realise that dream, really. Helping you read and learn about some of the classic novels. What would you do, if you weren't destined to be King?"

Liam shrugged, "I never really thought about it. 'S'not like I have a choice anyway."

"Pays to think about who you are outside of a title." Jon said slowly, "You're not just a prince, you're a person."

*

"Do you have to spend your entire life following my Dad around?"

Liam's eyes narrowed at Theo, confused about the question. "Why? It's not like you ever go talk to him." He snapped, brows raised. "And since I get injured whenever I'm around you, I'm safer hiding out with your Dad. Plus, he likes me."

Theo glanced over his shoulder at Liam, fixing the blanket distractedly. "Yeah, I know." He said flatly, "And I didn't injure you. It's not my fault you fell off the horse."

"It's a little bit your fault."

Theo scoffed, dropping the blanket and looking up at Liam, "In what way is it my fault?"

"Doodlebug is your horse." Liam answered, though he fully knew that it wasn't actually Theo's fault. Then again, Theo sucked, so Liam figured he'd earned the right to blame him for this. After all, it wasn't uncommon for Theo and Liam to walk away from spending the six weeks together with bruises. Usually they were accidents, the two of them getting too competitive and falling into things or tripping over things. Every now and then though, someone threw a punch.

"Doodlebug is a saint, shut up."

"I cannot wait to go home." Liam grumbled.

"Hey, don't be like that. We shared a horse." Theo sarcastically teased, shooting a wink in Liam's direction. Liam rolled his eyes and turned to leave, just desperately wanting to rid himself of this annoying summer once and for all.

"I hate you." Liam groaned as he left the room, and Theo just followed him out, the same smarmy look on his face. Liam couldn't help but wonder if Theo would ever grow out of bullying him.

"Wanna play Polo?" Theo asked as he followed Liam, swinging his arms, amusedly. Why hadn't they just invited Josh? At least when Josh came, Theo was somewhat distracted by him, but without Josh, Theo did nothing but follow him around trying to push his buttons all day, and Liam was desperate to go home.

"Not really." Liam sighed, but knew that inevitably, they would end up, because it was a good way to stop talking to Theo at least, and he was too damn competitive to ever say no.

*

"This was your fault."

"Bullshit this was my fault, it's you who lost your temper."

"You hit me with your mallet. On purpose."

"You can't prove that it was on purpose."

Caroline let out a deep sigh. "You are equally guilty of this." She told the two boys, both of whom snapped their eyes up to look at her. Both looked awkward and embarrassed suddenly, and she sighed.

"Sorry, Mum." Theo said quietly.

"Sorry, Caroline." Liam added after a moment.

"Don't apologise to me, apologise to each other."

As they walked towards the front of the castle, Jenna approached with them, sighing. "It was only a matter of time until you both ended up with broken bones." She commented quietly, "But somehow I didn't think it was going to happen like this."

She patted her son on the head, looking down at his right arm, which was currently in a sling.

"To be fair," Liam began, "We didn't actually break each other's arms. We just collided because we were being overly competitive."

"I didn't hit him with the mallet on purpose." Theo defended, and both women shook their heads, clearly not open to hearing their defences of what had happened. They had to say goodbye today, and for the second time in nine years, both boys walked away physically injured from their tumultuous friendship. If it could even be called that.

But they'd gotten along better this year, Caroline thought, and though they were rivalrous, they were also friendly to each other for the most part. Caroline heard quite a lot of laughing, and she was glad to think that maybe things were starting to change with them.

The boys walked off ahead, bickering about something or rather, and Caroline and Jenna hung back a little bit, discussing what had just transpired. "They're either going to become best friends or kill each other." Caroline told Jenna, and the two of them both stifled a laugh.

"Same time next year?" Jenna asked, a smile on her face, trying hard not to laugh, but unable to restrain herself.

"I think we're committed at this point." Caroline answered with a laugh, "At least they keep doing it to each other. They sort of punish themselves." She said softly. They shouldn't laugh, really, they both knew it, and yet they both did.

They watched as the boys awkwardly tried to hug each other, failing because of slings and casts, before they hugged each other goodbye, laughing as they went, and agreed to return the next year to see how ridiculous this situation could possibly become.


	4. Age Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam sees a different side of Theo.
> 
> Theo contends with what it means to be getting older.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading and commenting! I really appreciate it! They're starting to get a little older now, so the dynamic is changing a bit!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave any/all feedback!

"I shouldn't be here for this."

"Yes, you should." Jenna said slowly, adjusting Liam's tie, "You were invited and you should absolutely be here for this."

"I was invited by Caroline, not by Theo."

Jenna sighed, brushing Liam's hair back, staring him in the eye for a moment, her voice gentle when she spoke again. "Then Caroline wants you there." She said softly, "Theo isn't the only one who lives here or who cares about you."

"Are you sure, Mom?" He asked slowly, "I don't-- I don't want to intrude."

"I'm positive, my love. Come on, we don't want to be late, that would be disrespectful."

Liam nodded, and walked through the doors. The room was big and full of people, and Liam was reminded again why he didn't think he should be here. But as soon as Caroline saw him and Jenna, she ushered them over. Liam didn't want to go. He didn't want to be right up the front, he didn't want to impose on any of this, but he saw the big picture of Jon on the screen in front, saw the coffin at the front of the room, and he knew he had no choice but to go if she wanted them there.

He walked up to the front of the room, avoiding looking anyone in the eyes, and Caroline pulled him into a tight hug. Liam had spent a lot of time with her over the years, but nowhere near as much as with Theo or with Jon, and he had no idea she would actually want him there.

Liam was as tall as her now, and it was a little easier to try to be comforting. Still, he wasn't ready for it when he heard her say. "I know Jon was like a father to you. I'm glad that you're here. I think Theo's glad you're here too."

If Liam had any hope of keeping himself from crying, Caroline wasn't helping. He was touched that she cared the way she did, that she felt that he was close to Jon, but it hurt to be there, and Liam didn't want to be. He'd already lost a father, he wasn't trying to do it again.

She pulled back a little, looking Liam in the eyes, and he tried and failed to stop from tearing up, seeing her crying the way she was. "Jon loved you." She said softly, "He thought of you like a son too. Reading with you was one of his favourite times of year."

That was it, Liam was gone, tears immediately running down his face. Liam tried to bring a hand up to wipe the tears away, but Caroline stopped him. "It's okay to cry, Liam. It's a hard day. Theo's over there if you want to go say hello."

Liam didn't, but he didn't feel like he could actually say that, so he made his way over to where Theo sat, seeming unemotional, staring straight ahead.

"Hi." Liam said, his voice coming out like a squeak. He wasn't sure what to say or do, so he just sat beside Theo. They were off away from anybody else, and Liam glanced back to see Caroline and Jenna hugging and speaking in hushed tones.

"Hey, Dunbar." Theo said flatly, not bothering to look up at him. He was surprised to see Theo alone, no Josh, no Hayden or anyone else Liam knew to be close to Theo there.

"Um..." He knew he shouldn't ask whether or not Theo was okay, but he felt like he was supposed to say something, he just didn't know what.

"Dad loved you." Theo spoke, and Liam didn't know what to do. He wasn't ready to answer it, or to handle it at all, so he just nodded slowly.

"I... loved him too." Liam said finally. There was a slideshow up on a screen, and a picture of a younger Jon and a little Theo flashed up. Liam recognised them both, Jon had looked like that when he first met Theo. Theo must've looked like that too, but somehow, Liam couldn't ever remember him being that small. He'd always seemed so big at the time. Theo sat there for a minute staring, not saying anything else to Liam.

But then a photo of Liam, Theo and Jon sitting out by their pool flashed up, and Theo got to his feet, turning and walking directly out of the room.

Caroline looked up, concerned, and Liam glanced at her. She nodded in his direction, and Liam turned to follow Theo out. It shouldn't have been him. His mom was there, he was sure Josh was here somewhere, or someone else who Theo would rather talk to, but Caroline had indicated to him to follow, so Liam followed.

When he got out into the cold wintery air, he stopped, looking around in the wind, looking for Theo, who seemingly had immediately disappeared. "Theo...?" He called, and for a moment, he couldn't hear or see anything at all.

But then he heard the vague sounds of a sob, and he saw Theo, sitting up in a tree out the front. Nobody was around, nobody there to see it, the whole thing kept secretive and quiet, so he was able to hide up there without being watched or photographed.

"Can I... come up...?" Liam asked as he got closer. His nose felt cold and he knew his cheeks would be flushed now, he could already feel himself getting stiffer.

Theo just shrugged, so Liam took that as a yes. He hauled himself up, though he nearly tripped on the way. Doing this in a suit and jacket probably wasn't the best way to do this, and Liam was never the best climber anyway, he was always sort of clumsy. Still, he finally got up onto the branch Theo was on, and Theo had moved further out to give Liam room to sit behind him. They were sort of squished together, especially in thick jackets, but that was fine. They were relatively well hidden up here.

"I've never been to your house in winter." Liam said, blowing into his hands. "It's freezing."

"Yeah," Theo said with a nod.

He had tears on his face, and it sort of made Liam's heart ache a little, though he couldn't place why. Theo was a bully to Liam growing up, but Liam had never seen Theo cry, and as a seventeen year old who already looked like a man, Liam hated to see him that way.

"I'm really sorry about your Dad... I didn't know he was..." He trailed off, looking at the ground.

"I know." Theo said with a casual frown, raising his shoulders in a shrug but not looking at Liam or letting on that it was bothering him. He wiped the tears off of his rosy cheeks, staring straight ahead. "He didn't like to tell anyone, but he's been sick basically since forever."

"No one... ever told me..." He said slowly, swinging his legs, trying to find some way to distract himself from the awkwardness of it all.

"Yeah, well." Theo kicked another branch softly, and Liam wondered if he was trying to do the exact same thing Liam was. "That's why I hated going in that study. It was always so dark and quiet, and it just reminded me of..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "I always used to wonder if I'd go in there one day and find him..."

"I... had no idea."

Theo scoffed, "I never told you."

They sat in silence for a minute longer, until Theo spoke again.

"He always liked you better than me anyway."

Liam glanced up at him, his eyes wide. "No-- that's not true. He just, he just felt sorry for me, because..."

"Because of your Dad?" Theo filled in, eyes narrowed slightly. "Maybe at first, but he didn't. He just really loved you. He used to look forward to you coming for weeks in advance. He'd try to look as proper as possible so you wouldn't know anything was wrong with him. Perfect prince Liam." He rolled his eyes, like he couldn't stand Liam, but Liam wondered if it was Theo's way of trying to say something nice to Liam. His way of acknowledging that Liam was hurt by it all too.

Liam nodded slowly, "Yeah." That was what he meant, but Theo was still giving him that same annoyed look, like Liam just wasn't getting it. "I feel like you're going to punch me for saying this, but if you need to talk, I--"

"Thanks, but no thanks, Dunbar." He said slowly, and Liam was surprised by the lack of fight in his words. "He wasn't always as nice to everyone as he was to you, anyway. He had a lot of bad days because of being sick and..." Theo cut off, shaking his head. "Don't wanna talk about this."

"Okay." Liam nodded, "Well, just... if you do want to, I'm here."

They sat there a little while longer, both of them just staring ahead. Liam was beginning to wonder if his fingers were going to fall off or something when Theo let out a long sigh. "We should go back."

"The ceremony is probably over..." Liam said slowly, and Theo nodded.

"That's what I was hoping for." He admitted, "They wanted me to make a speech and I... couldn't do it."

"Oh." Liam nodded, and he jumped down onto the floor, his knees crumpling beneath him in the cold, barely feeling his hands scratch against the rough ground because he was so cold.

A moment later, he felt hands on his upper arm, and he was back on his feet, Theo patting him down. "You ok, Dunbar? Liam was a little surprised by the unusually nice gesture from Theo. His expression was weirdly passive, like he'd found a way to put his careful mask back on.

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, and Liam wasn't sure what was about to happen, but then, out of nowhere, Theo pulled at Liam's shoulders, pulling him into a surprisingly tight hug. They never hugged, not properly, not when they weren't being forced, and Liam had no idea why Theo had hugged him of all people. Surely there must be more people, better people, but Liam wasn't going to rebuff Theo. For all the bullshit, they had spent a long time together, and there was some kind of weird bond that came from that. Plus, Liam loved Jon too, and there was something to that as well.

Theo's shoulders shook and though he was silent, Liam was sure that Theo was crying. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't. He just stood in place, his arms wrapped tight around Theo, trying to be as supportive as he was able to be.

It was harder than Liam thought to just stand there and not react to the obvious emotion, even though the whole thing did make him really emotional. He wasn't prepared for this, he had sort of thought Theo would just ignore him, but he was imagining he would stand in the back and barely speak to anyone and that that would be fine. Now he was... comforting Theo, which was something he never thought would happen. Frankly, something he didn't know how to do.

Liam didn't speak, and neither did Theo, they just stayed in place, arms tight around around each other for a few minutes, Liam neither acknowledging the awkwardness nor making any attempt to pull away.

Finally, after a few minutes in that position, Theo pulled back, roughly wiping at his eyes, not bothering to try to look at Liam. Or maybe not wanting to face him. He couldn't imagine Theo had wanted Liam to see him that way, considering their lifetime of rivalry and joint frustration.

"Don't think this changes anything." Theo grumbled, and Liam nodded slowly.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Theo walked off first, stalking back into the funeral room as if nothing had ever happened. And Liam figured if he could ever be kind towards Theo, today was the day. They'd be flying back home soon, returning again in summer, and they would almost certainly not talk between the funeral and the summer trip, so by then, Liam was sure it would be completely forgotten.

*

When Theo had first messaged Liam, it wasn't for any nefarious reason. Really, it was because he was embarrassed. He hated to be thought of as weak, and he had spent nearly his entire life in preparation for that loss. That loss, which he had inevitably been unable to handle, which had led him to crying on Liam's shoulder like a baby.

He was hoping if he could say something, maybe he could distract Liam from what had happened and from what he'd done.

Liam was, blessedly, not really the kind of person to fuck with him about something like this. Really, it was mostly Theo who did that, and while he didn't really have any intention of their relationship changing too much (messing with each other was their thing at this point), he wasn't trying to give Liam any ammunition if he did decide to fuck with him. Especially since, really, Theo knew he'd given Liam plenty of reasons to throw this back in his face.

They didn't text each other often, and when they did it was always sort of tense and argumentative. Maybe it was just a way to extend their usual bullshit between visits, but they had known each other since they were small children and their banter hadn't changed, it had just gotten slightly more explicit.

**Theo** : Just come. Please.

**Joshy Bear** : Why? you’ve known him forever, you don’t need a buffer anymore. i have shit to do... some of us need to go to college, your highness

**Theo** : The longer I know him, the more I need a buffer.

Of course Josh would argue him on the point. He was always the more rational of the two of them, the more level headed. That was why he didn’t wind up with a broken arm from a heated game of polo. That was years ago now, but Theo was pretty sure he was still in Josh’s phone as ‘firecracker’ as a result. Which, really, was fair.

Josh’s own nickname in Theo’s phone stemmed more from Theo’s tendency to never know when to stop the mocking and banter. But Josh was very close to his mother, who Theo had heard call Josh ‘Joshy Bear’ enough times that he’d been using it teasingly for nearly his whole life.

**Joshy Bear** : I’m not coming for the whole time.

**Theo** : thank you i love you

**Joshy Bear** : yeah well u should. you’re the worst and this weird relationship is uncomfortable.

Theo went to reply, but at the same time, he got a text from Liam. It was unusual for Theo to hear from him more than once every few days, but he would be coming soon, and Theo hadn’t seen him since the funeral. It was weird, and he hated the shift in dynamic. He never asked Liam to follow him, he’d left so no one would see him cry.

**Little Prince Dumbar** : In case you get out of line.

There was a photo attached, and when Theo opened it, he found a photo of a pest spray can. He snorted, shook his head and didn’t answer, returning to Josh’s message.

**Theo** : you forget, i didn’t do this. mum makes him come.

**Joshy Bear** : Mmhmm.

**Theo** : that noise loses its effect when you’re not here to make a judgemental face with it

**Joshy Bear** : but you know exactly the one i’m going for, no?

**Theo** : You’re the best, Joshy Bear

**Joshy Bear** : ugh, still with the nickname? that joke got old when we were thirteen, Theo

**Theo** : it’s ok, you can say you love me too

*

Theo hadn’t really taken much notice of how Liam Dunbar looked at the funeral, because he’d been distracted with everything else going on, but it’d been half a year since then, and Theo was far more himself.

Liam had grown into more of an adult since last year. He was about Theo’s height now (which still wasn’t tall) and he’d grown into his ears. He looked a little more like a man, and Theo tried to reconcile the sight with the grumpy little kid Liam had been ten minutes ago. The chubby cheeks were gone, leaving a square jaw behind.

Theo had always hated feeling like the two of them were in direct competition, but they always sort of had been.

Liam might be eight or so months younger, but he and Liam were still the closest major royals around, the two most plastered in papers and on the news. They would always be inherently in competition, even when they were Kings and would have to be allies or the like. That was diplomacy, yes, but it was also their childhood at play. He tried to imagine sitting across from Liam in one of their big fancy rooms and negotiate over their treaties. He knew they’d both been studying it all since they could walk, but they never talked about it. Theo never really wanted to.

Nobody had to tell them how to act in public anymore. They both plastered on smiles and closed the gap, giving each other a stiff, quick hug. It was nothing like the one in the freezing wind outside the funeral, and Theo wondered if Liam was thinking about that day too.

The thought bothered him, but he offered a pushed smile. The kind he always gave for cameras. The kind he knew made his cheekbones stand out more. After all, Theo had been raised in front of cameras. His whole life had been about finding the right image, and he was good at it.

He knew how he presented, and it was usually the way he meant to. Probably very different than the boy Josh or Liam considered him to be, however.

Him and Liam began to walk inside without saying anything to each other, long past the years of insulting each other. For now, at least. Maybe they were just more reserved in how they showed it. They might still be teenagers, but they were both much more aware of what it meant to be in the public eye.

When they got inside, they turned to face each other, a little awkward, like neither knew what to say or do in the moment. "Cards?" Liam asked awkwardly, his bags being taken in by staff of Theo's family.

"Cards." Theo nodded, and the two of them walked off together. Liam didn't suggest going to the library, and neither did Theo, so they went instead to the room they usually played video games in.

"Is Josh coming?" Liam asked in a way that suggested he was trying to be casual, despite the growing awkwardness of the situation. The two of them sat on opposite ends of the table, playing rummy, as they often did when they were on their own. They usually only got two or three games in before they wound up fighting over some rule or another and one of them ran off.

"Yeah, he is. In a few days."

They got three games in before things began to blow up. "Stop trying to change the rules just because I'm winning." Liam shouted at him, and Theo rolled his eyes.

"You're barely winning at all. And I'm not changing the rules, you can't just change existing couplets like that. If you're gonna swap a wild card, it has to be with a card from your hand, not one from on the board already." Theo told him, as if they didn't have this same argument absolutely every year. And they did, and every year, Liam tried to argue against the rule. And every year, Theo had to remind him that wasn't how it worked.

"No." Liam said flatly, "I'm just better at this game than you. We google this every year. And every year we find out that both rules are valid. You only want to change it because I keep beating you."

"Yeah, I know how competitive you are, but you're still wrong." Theo snapped, somewhat amused by how annoyed Liam was getting. He might be older and more conventionally attractive now, but he was still the same angry kid at heart, and Theo loved poking his buttons like this. He always had, but the older he became, the less it was out of genuine dislike and the more it was out of amusement.

"Hey, Nolan, what'd'you think?" Liam called, leaning back in his chair.

Theo raised his brows, confused as to who Liam was talking to, when a guard poked his head around the corner.

"Are you talking to me, your royal highness?" The guard asked, and Theo realised he didn't actually ever talk to the guards in this part of the house. He rarely came here when Liam wasn't around, and actually, he was pretty sure this guy was new. Although, if he was, how did Liam know him? Maybe Theo just wasn't very observant.

"Yeah," Liam nodded, "I've told you, you can just call me Liam. Also, come sit, I need you to settle something for me." He smiled widely, and Theo's brows furrowed. Since when did Liam draw staff into their arguments? Since when did Liam even know the staff this well?

The guard, Nolan, looked at Theo, as if to ask permission to come inside after Liam asked. Theo didn't particularly want some random guard to join them, but he nodded nonetheless.

Nolan entered the room and sat down opposite Theo, Liam between them at the head of the table. Theo resisted the urge to glare at him, especially since the guy hadn't actually done anything wrong, except for break up the fight Theo had been anticipating. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, Nolan wasn't looking at him, he was looking at Liam instead, like he was waiting for Liam to elaborate, and it sort of annoyed Theo, the uncomfortable feeling of being left out.

Liam was being friendly, and Theo wasn't sure when the last time he saw Liam be that nice to anyone was. "So, do you know how to play rummy?" He asked brightly. He glanced back at Theo, who must've looked more annoyed than he thought he did, because Liam added, "Ignore him, he's being a sore loser because I always beat him at cards."

"No, I'm being a sore loser because Liam cheats every single year."

Liam looked back at him, a triumphant grin on his face, "Aha! You admitted it, you're a sore loser!"

Theo had to actively restrain the urge to smile back at him, "No, I admitted that I was losing because you're cheating. That's not the same at all."

“I don’t know how to play.” Nolan finally answered, evidently having been drowned out by Theo and Liam arguing.

Liam launched into a big thing of explaining it to Theo, who only jumped in every so often to correct Liam’s explanations, mostly spending the time looking around the room. The castle was so big and creepy, growing up he hadn’t strayed so much. The older Walter got, the less he wanted to explore, and Theo didn’t see much point in going without him. Besides, some areas were his Dad’s areas. Maybe it was Theo’s fault, but he had spent so much of his childhood avoiding his Dad. He couldn’t bear to see him ill, and when he was with him, his sorrow seemed to grow so much he thought it would swallow him, so he stayed away.

Only when things took a turn for the worse did Theo start spending more time with him. He read books to him in the months leading up to the end, and he grew to like the library somewhat too. Now, the main thing he had to combat was his regret. The irrational fears of a small child were long forgotten, but a worse fear was realised.

Now, looking around the room, he saw it different. Not creepy, as he’d seen it once, but nice. Furnished with pieces from before Theo was even a thought in anyone’s mind, it seemed classic. Theo knew he’d own it all eventually, and he wondered if he should know the place better. He’d have to stop hiding away eventually, and now that he was officially the man of the house, that time was coming.

“Right, Theo?” Liam broke through Theo’s thoughts and Theo glanced up at the other boy.

“What?”

“God, do you ever listen?” Liam quipped, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, that’s what we’re arguing about. Whether you should be able to rearrange on the table to get the wild card. I think yes, because it’s more creative and there are more options to use, but Theo thinks not because he’s a killjoy who can’t stand when I’m better at things than him.”

Theo scoffed, “I think not because those are the proper rules and you’re supposed to follow those.”

Nolan glanced between them, as if trying to figure out what side he was meant to take. Probably, if Theo had to guess, he was weighing the options. Liam was a friend to him, clearly, though why anyone would want to be friends with Liam, he didn’t understand. And Theo, well, he was his employer, technically. It was a risky move either way.

“I agree with Liam.” He settled on, flashing Liam a smile, “The creative route is usually the better one in games like this.”

“Pfft— of course you do, because Liam’s all blue eyes and charm.” Theo rolled his eyes, irritated. “You can’t bat your eyes and get your way with me, Dumbar, it’s still against the rules.”

Liam snorted, “What a complimentary insult you’ve got there, Dumbass.” He beamed though, and Theo had to resist the urge to reach out and pull on a bit of his newly longer hair. “But you’ve been outnumbered, my move stands.”

“I didn’t agree to a guard being the decider.” Theo objected, but the battle was already lost. Liam and his stupid new friend would overrule him, because he had strength in numbers.

“Josh would side with me too and you know it. He likes my rules better.” Liam was still grinning, and this was why Theo hated it so much when he won at things. The bastard was way too smug and happy about it.

“Yeah, well, Josh isn’t here.”

“Yes, but Nolan is.” Liam patted his shoulder contentedly, and Theo rolled his eyes dramatically, leaning back in his chair.

Theo pulled out his phone, typing grumpily to avoid dealing with the Nolan and Liam of it all.

**Theo** : SOS. come sooner. the little prince is flirting with a guard.

He added a puke emoji for good measure, and tried to ignore the way the two of them chatted away without him.

**Joshy Bear** : so? isn’t that good? you don’t have to hang out alone with him

Theo frowned at his phone, distracted for a moment by Liam’s irritatingly loud laugh. Would he ever stop driving Theo absolutely mental?

**Theo** : Sure, but it’s annoying. he’s using him to win fights against me

**Joshy Bear** : and you’re sure it has nothing to do with jealousy??

**Theo** : Jealousy over what? my annoying ass forced friend making another annoying ass friend? please.

**Joshy Bear** : yanno, you’re not kids anymore, Theo. you could just admit to liking him.

**Theo** : ew. who are you and what have you done with my Joshy Bear? i’m getting bullied from all sides today

**Joshy Bear** : you deserve it xoxo

He started in his seat when Liam put a hand on his shoulder, evidently telling an animated story about the time the two of them had fallen into a lake in the woods and nearly drowned. It wasn’t funny at the time, and it had been entirely Liam’s fault, but it was typical that Liam found a way to turn it into some charming anecdote.

“Well, on that note, I’m going to go.”

“Why?” Liam asked, finally turning his attention fully to Theo.

Theo held his head higher, a little satisfied to see Liam look concerned about it. “Because you have a new friend to play cards with now and I have better things to do.” He said, hoping it sounded interesting and ominous, even though his plan was actually to go lay in his room and watch youtube until dinner time. Let Liam stay and flirt with the guard, Josh would be here soon anyway.

*

“So just tell him.” Theo glanced up at Josh, irritated.

“Tell him what?” Theo asked, looking back down at the book in his hands.

“Tell him you’re a child who has a crush apparently and no emotional depth and can’t handle not having his full attention.” Josh groaned, as if it was obvious, and Theo shot him a look full of venom and threats.

“I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about, Joshua. I have hated Dumbar since I was six years old and absolutely nothing has changed. Now I just have to watch him distract my guard from his job.” Theo scoffed, staring back at his book, unwilling to look up at where Liam sat in a big throne-like chair, with Nolan on the ground beside him, the two of them giggling like children.

Theo absolutely did not have a crush on Liam. Sure, Liam had a sort of annoying way of being able to talk him into, like, absolutely anything, and Theo had spent much of his childhood playing dress ups and pretending to sword fight each other because of it, but Theo only did that because he was trying to get Liam off his case. He’d never met a human being as incessant as Liam was. Even with a black eye, he was always getting right up in Theo’s face like he was fearless.

It was irritating. Theo was older and bigger and smarter and if Liam had any decency, he’d be intimidated by him too.

But no, instead he was distracting a guard from doing his job and talking about god knows what in their throne room.

“You know, you’re too old for it to be cute to bully someone you’re into.” Josh told him, maybe a little too loudly, and Theo might just kill him before this was all over.

“Shut up, Diaz. I was not bullying Dumbar because I had a crush on him. And frankly, he gave as good as he got.” Theo defended, about ten seconds off just walking out.

“Sure, sure. You know, there’s nothing shameful about admitting that—“

“Oi, you two, come play cards with us. It’s a better game with four anyway.” Liam called out, all bright smiles and nudging Nolan’s shoe with his own as he talked.

“This should be fun.” Josh groaned under his breath beside him. “Just admit you like him so we can escape this.”

Theo leaned over, so only Josh would hear him. “Please. Can’t stand the guy. Maybe I’d like him better if he didn’t win every fucking game.”

The two got over and went to go play with them. An hour later, Liam had won almost every game, and Theo was beginning to wonder if he could pardon himself from murder charges because of his title.

And every stupid time Liam won, he high-fived Nolan. And every stupid time they did that, Josh nudged him. Theo might murder all three of them before the day was out.

Liam had two cards left in his hand and so help him, Theo was going to run off into the woods and live there if Liam won another game.

He desperately stared at the board and at his own three cards, trying to find some strategy to put them all down so it never got back round to Liam’s turn.

“Come on, Theo, just admit you don’t have a move and pick up.”

Theo shot a glare at Liam, hoping looks could kill, and the younger prince rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Liam.”

“Apparently His Royal Highness refuses to take a turn.” Liam scoffed, leaning back dramatically in his chair as though he might never move again.

Fuck this. There had to be a way. For the sake of his pride and sanity, there had to be a way. If Theo’s count was correct, Liam had him beat 137 games to 89 and that just wasn’t close enough. Sure, Theo was better at a thousand other things, like math and english and public speaking, but Liam was better at this and at polo and Theo couldn’t handle being bested by the same kid who’d freaked him out by getting too into his space when he was six years old.

Probably Theo needed to work on his competitiveness, but Liam brought it out in him.

After a moment, Theo’s eyes lit up. “Wait, wait, wait! I’ve got it.” With no less than twelve shuffles of the groups already on the table, Theo had rearranged them all so he had no cards left. “Sweet vindication,” Theo smiled smugly, waiting for anyone else to react. Specifically, waiting for Liam to fire up, to argue with him, to insult him.

Instead, Liam smiled. “Good job, Theo. See? I told you you weren’t bad at this game.” He turned to Nolan, “Your turn to set up for a new game?”

Theo deflated. That wasn’t fun? Where was the fight? Where was the anger? Where was Liam’s cheeks puffing up when he pouted or his nose going red when he was angry? He’d just gone back to talking to Nolan like nothing ever happened?

Theo leaned back in his seat with a huff, and he shoved Josh without looking, because he could physically feel Josh’s stupid knowing look on his face.

But he was wrong— he didn’t know. Liam was just an annoying sixteen year old who turned up at his house every year to totally upend everything and leave Theo hyped up and distracted. He wasn’t Theo’s childhood crush, he was Theo’s childhood dread, the little mosquito that buzzed around him all summer, trying to be part of the game.

Theo remembered when Liam had convinced him to play firefighters, and they tried to construct a pole for Liam to slide down out of toilet rolls, but instead, Liam had fallen and toppled Theo to the ground. They had both wound up covered in bruises. If that didn’t summarise it all, Theo didn’t know what did. Liam did something stupid, convinced Theo to do it with him, somehow stole Theo’s brain cells, it went bad, they both got hurt and then they spent the rest of their time blaming each other and insulting each other.

That was their relationship. This weird flirting with a guard and being nice to him thing? Theo didn’t like it.

Nolan set the game up and Theo began playing again, figuring maybe if he won again, that would bring out Liam’s competitive spirit more.

Only when Nolan won the next game and Liam hugged him did Theo decide he was done playing games for the day.

*

“Thought I’d find you in here.” Theo said quietly, unwilling to disrupt the unusual peace in the room. He’d barely seen Liam alone in weeks, and when Liam was alone, this was usually why.

“I’m sorry,” Liam said slowly, clearing his throat. He couldn’t make out Liam’s face in the dim lighting and from so far away, but he was pretty sure he could hear that Liam was crying.

He shouldn’t be there for that.

“What for?” Theo asked, confused by the apology. Liam always roamed wherever he wanted in Theo’s castle, he’d been coming here for over ten years straight, honestly, he probably knew the place better than Theo himself.

“For being in here. I didn’t know if I was allowed, but I...” He trailed off, and Theo understood.

Theo swallowed, “Nah. You own this place now anyway.”

“I what?” Liam asked, blinking.

Theo was confused too, surely Liam knew?

“This library, it's yours. Or all the books are anyway. My dad left it all to you. I assumed they told you. Maybe it’s being held in trust for you until you turn eighteen.” Theo had felt a little bitter when he found out himself, because it was his Dad, and dammit, why did his Dad always love Liam more? But over time, he’d come to understand. He left Theo everything else. Everything else he owned. And one book. His favourite book. The one he used to read to Theo as a child. Theo hadn’t had the heart to open it yet, but it sat safety on his nightstand.

Liam was silent, and Theo really wished he could see his face right then. Or at least, could hear him. He was too far away, and weirdly, felt too scared to go further in.

“But... but there are... thousands of books and they’re... they’re yours? And your mom’s? I’m just some random kid, I don’t...” His voice broke, and Theo understood the silence. Liam was emotional. Liam had been told, by all of them, how much Jon loved him, but maybe till right then, he hadn’t understood.

“You’re not some random kid.” Theo filled in, “You were the kid he always wanted. Unfortunately for him...” He tried to joke, but trailed off, suddenly finding himself too emotional too. “Can I turn the light on?”

“Uh-uh.” Theo heard Liam’s response immediately and sighed. “I just... want to sit here in the dark.” Up on his little balcony, no doubt looking down at the desk below and to the right of it, where Jon had sat to talk to him for so many years.

“I should go.” Theo said softly.

He was just about to walk through the heavy double doors on the thing when Liam called out, “Stay? Just uh... sit down there in the dark with me?”

Theo should leave. He should really, really go. He had no right to impose on this moment, and he was totally out of his depth. Liam and Theo had vastly different relationships with Jon, and they didn’t do this. They didn’t have random vulnerable moments. Still, for all his constant jabbing and bullying, Theo had always sucked at saying no to Liam. He sat down on one of the leather reading chairs around the giant, shadowy library, and stayed silent.

Neither Liam nor Theo spoke again until they were called to dinner later.

*

“He’s leaving today.” Theo said with a casual shrug.

Josh sighed, “So? Tell him you like him. Or that you want to hang out more. He spent more time with that guard than with you this year.”

Theo shrugged his shoulders. He’d spent his life trying to get out of hanging with Liam, and he’d finally gotten what he wanted. Liam found a new friend, and he seemed never to fight with Nolan. So, Theo was definitely more interesting, but Nolan couldn’t be blamed for that. Theo was just too amusing and funny.

“I don’t like him and I don’t want to hang out more. Really, Josh, I don’t know where you get these ideas.”

Theo adjusted his tie in the mirror, not meeting Josh’s eyes where they stared at him in the reflection. Josh never did listen to reason. Couldn’t Theo just have a frenemy like a normal person without Josh trying to make it into something weird?

“So it doesn’t bother you at all that he’s probably sharing some heartfelt farewell with the hot guard with the pretty eyes?”

“Ew, he’s not hot.” Theo rolled his eyes. “I’m hot. He’s... cute. Like a puppy in a wheelchair. Not hot.”

“Jealous,” Josh muttered under his breath and Theo rolled his eyes.

“Nothing to be jealous about. I don’t like Liam and that guard is no threat to me anyway. They can bang in the drawing room for all I care.” Theo said coolly, turning to walk out of his room, ready to bid Liam farewell from yet another awkward and weirdly heated year together.

He waited in the foyer, arms folded and right foot tapping impatiently. Jenna stood with Caroline, the two laughing and chatting, but Liam was nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps his glib thought about Nolan had been right, but he doubted it. Especially when he finally saw Liam, and his unrealistically blue, Disney-child-big-eyes, red rimmed with tears. No, he’d been in the library, Theo was sure of it.

“You good, mate?” Theo asked, almost on instinct, and Liam nodded, not meeting his eyes.

“Finally,” Jenna beamed, “A year where we don’t escort you two out with bruises or broken limbs. Maybe our little princes are finally maturing.”

“I can punch him, if you want?” Theo suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

No one responded, and in a moment, they were out in the garden, people yelling and cameras snapping as the four bid each other farewell yet again.

As always, Theo and Liam went first. They hugged, as they always did and, for the first time ever, Theo had no interest in insulting Liam. Instead, he said: “My Dad’d be proud of you.” Then he pulled away quickly, patted Liam on the shoulder, and stepped away, as he always did.

He could feel Liam’s inquisitive eyes on him, but Theo didn’t meet them, merely stood by his mother’s’ side, straight and polite, waiting to be allowed back inside.

After that, it was weeks before he heard from Liam again.


	5. Age Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo are forced together for the final time. Theo has to come to terms with some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter got increeedibly long. A lot longer than I meant it to be? But it is the last of the time-jump chapters, so the next one will be at the age the bulk of the story is set at! I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave any/all feedback you might have!

“You know I’ve been bringing you here for nearly fifteen years.” Jenna said softly as she fixed Liam’s tie. The prince glanced up, gave her a fond smile, but said nothing for a moment. He noted how her eyes crinkled at the corners, how much more often she smiled, and he couldn’t help but be constantly and eternally relieved that she had David now.

“Yeah, I know, Mom. I was five when you first brought me and you promised me I’d make a friend.” Liam teased, brows raising, as if trying to bait her into something.

“Yes, I did.” The older woman agreed with a nod. “And in fairness, I’m still not entirely sure I was wrong. It just took a little longer than expected.”

“I hate to break it to you, Mom, but I don’t think we’ll ever be good friends. Not hating each other is about the best we’ve got.”

“Maybe when you were boys,” She leaned forward, brushing a piece of Liam’s hair back, “But you’re men now. I’m sure things will change.”

“Yes, and I’ve spent six weeks of every year fighting with Theo Raeken. Nothing will change. Except perhaps that we’ll both have to start attending balls and the like.” He shrugged. All of this and the knowledge of it was a big part of Liam’s job growing up. He had a responsibility to know. To understand. Now, their perceived diplomacy was more important than ever.

“It’s already changed, Dear. Nobody’s broken a limb in a few years.” She smiled proudly, and Liam shook his head. This was not the typical standard of a good relationship, but he just chuckled. It was true, he couldn’t count how often Theo had kicked Liam or Liam had tripped Theo down the stairs or something similar growing up. Really, it was incredible they were both still in one piece.

“How does it feel? Knowing this is your final year?”

Liam blinked at his mother, confused. “Pardon? Has my invite expired?”

She scoffed, “No, but you’re an adult now. By next year, I won’t have any way to drag you here.”

“Oh.” Liam shrugged, “I have no doubt we’ll have no choice but to maintain whatever weird, pseudo friendship this is for the sake of our kingdoms.” He brushed it off, not having considered that he might not see Theo every Summer for the rest of their lives.

“For the sake of the kingdoms.” Jenna nodded, but Liam got the sense he was being mocked.

“Not my fault you conditioned me to see him every year.” Liam defended.

“Don’t act like there’s something terrible about having a friend who gets you.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.” He eyed her and she raised her hands in defence, smirking.

By the time they arrived, Liam putting his suit jacket back on, readying himself for the exact same photo session he’d been doing since he was five years old.

Theo stood straight, staring off into space when he got off the plane, as if he’d been standing there far too long already. Liam understood, it had gotten tedious over the years. Still, Theo was always Theo. He always looked mildly like he thought he was too cool to be there.

And, much to Liam annoyance, he sort of was. He’d beefed up since Liam last saw him, and everything from the maroon suit to the aviator sunglasses shouted a guy who knew he was appealing. Liam wanted to roll his eyes. Theo always had been this way, really. A good looking guy who knew he was good looking.

Per usual, their mothers stayed back, giving them the room to greet each other in the middle. The hug was sort of familiar. It should be after a decade, but once upon a time, they’d both ‘yuck’ed at the thought of hugging. Now, they did it nearly naturally, patting each other on the back, but not speaking. It wasn’t really their greeting. It was the public’s.

They began to walk into the house, as always, and Liam wondered how many people were about to publish a picture of them at five and six and one of them at eighteen and nineteen, side by side. Probably every paper company worth their salt. And every online news outlet. Both princes, after a lifetime of ‘friendship’, had finally come of age.

When they got inside, Theo gave him an awkward pat on the back. “Dunbar.”

“Raeken.” Liam nodded a hello back, and a moment later, inside, Caroline had yanked Liam into a bone crushing hug.

“I’ve missed you,” She told him fondly. Over the years, Liam knew they’d gotten closer to each other's’ parents, but he never really got used to believing that Caroline cared about him. He had always felt so out of place in this household — with everyone except Jon.

"I missed you too," Liam said as emotively as he could. He'd never been too good with that, but that was fine, because he was pretty sure that she knew him well enough to know.

"You've grown up so much, even just since last year." She told him, patting a bit of his hair back. "I nearly said I feel like I've known you all your life, but I suppose I have. Still, seems like you've grown up so suddenly."

Liam smiled, small and shy, a little awkward. He could feel both his mother and Theo watching, but he didn't know why, and the knowledge only made his skin itch. He glanced sideways at the two of them, and they were both sort of smirking at him. Caroline pinched one of his cheeks and everyone in the room laughed, Liam included. The whole thing was so ridiculous, how far they'd come, and Liam almost forgot to be annoyed that he was always dragged here.

“We’ve never been four adults together.” Jenna said with a warm smile. “Maybe we four could have tea together?” She suggested.

Liam glanced at Theo, who nodded, standing straight and proper, as though he was still being watched by press. Maybe adulthood had burned that deeper into him over the past year or so.

The four made their way out to the garden, Caroline stopping some staff member to ask them to bring food and tea. Liam often wondered, as he walked through the castle, if the public had any idea of how the royals lived. He was sure they expected stiff suits and constant political meetings, far from the playing rummy on the ground in their pyjamas that Liam and Theo, future Kings of their respective countries, had been growing up.

They were no part the idols of propriety Liam was sure people assumed. Their constant bickering would prove that, if anyone ever actually hear them doing it. He wanted to peruse the websites, but resisted on the basis that he knew better than to google himself for fear of the results. Still, he was curious to see how this newest summer was framed. From five and six to eighteen and nineteen.

He glanced at Theo, and felt the same burn of annoyance at how much better Theo had grown up than him. It was no great surprise, he had been winning their contests as long as Liam could remember. Taller. Smarter. More charming. He had looked like a model while Liam had still been trying to grow into his face. Only eight months older, and yet, so much better at just about everything. It drove Liam insane.

When they sat, Liam barely realised he was missing the conversation. The laughter and catching up on all they’d missed in the past year. Caroline and Jenna were almost certainly in closer contact than Liam and Theo, but Caroline and Jenna had long since begun to act as though their relationships included the boys too. That the four were all friends or something.

“Well, we always have been close allies. And it looks like our plan to make Theo and Liam allies too has finally worked.”

Liam snorted, “Theo and I? I had her majesty pinching my cheeks earlier today, I think we’re long past casual allies, at this point.”

He caught Theo’s eyes and they both flashed quick smiles at each other. Theo began to strip his jacket off against the heat, folding his shirt sleeves up to his elbows. Liam rolled his eyes against the movement. When did Theo get so fit anyway?

Liam tore his eyes away when Caroline asked him a question about his plans for the summer. Apparently this summer was different from all their others. They were both adults now, both men, and there were a thousand functions they could or should attend.

“Um...” Liam defaulted to glancing back at Theo, as if he expected him to answer. Theo generally seemed to know better about these things, and Liam would rather go to none of them, were that an option.

“We’ll go the Ball on Saturday night.” Theo said casually, and Liam just nodded. Let Theo handle it and tow him along, Liam didn’t care much. He didn’t want to plan all of this, and maybe that was why Theo would be a better royal than him.

“Well, you two have gotten very chummy.” Jenna commented, brows raised.

“No?” Liam and Theo spoke in unison, before glancing at each other.

“I just know you were expecting us to go together, so I figured Theo and I would have to talk about it. Isn’t that the whole point...?” He defended, though he wasn’t sure why he needed to defend himself. There was nothing wrong with them being friends, in theory, it just... wasn’t true. They’d spent their whole lives hating each other, and sure, that fire might be gone, but they were still them.

“So you’re not friends, you’re just friends?” Caroline teased.

Theo scoffed, “Would you like me to punch him in the balls to prove that we’re not?”

Liam snorted, looking at the ground, unable or perhaps unwilling to meet Theo’s eyes. “I hope you know I’ll give you a very visible black eye if you do that.”

“Had no idea it was such an insult to call you friends,” Jenna laughed.

The conversation went on, and Liam found himself just staring at them all. He took note of his mother. Of the elegant cream pantsuit she wore, of the way her curly red hair was bundled on top of her head. He took note of her piercing blue eyes (the same blue as his, only far more interesting). He took note of her bright grin and the lines around her eyes that spoke to a life full of laughter and joy. He hoped she’d lived a happy life. A serious and stoic Queen of the people, who behind closed doors would blare Fleetwood Mac and skid down the halls with Liam in their socks to see who could go farthest. His mother, whom he absolutely adored. She was beautiful as ever, and seemed happy here, with Liam and Theo and Caroline, and it was hard to resent coming here when he saw her that way.

He looked at Caroline, who looked so much like Theo. The same steely-green eyes. The same sandy blondish hair. The same crooked half smile. She, like Liam’s mother, had visibly aged quite a bit since he’d known her. When they first met, Liam remembered her as this floating graceful angel. She still was, but she seemed much more human now, barefoot in her own garden and the dress, which had seemed so formal, but now just looked like a flowing summer dress in this light, with her smiling so bright. She looked at Theo with such love and pride, and Liam was glad that they had that bond. Probably, that was why Theo still tolerated these mandatory summer get-togethers. Like Liam, Theo couldn’t turn his mother down, and at least that was one thing they had in common. He knew Caroline, like his mother, was a different person behind closed doors. She was a ‘lay on the floor with six cats and one dog on top of you’ person, and from what Liam saw, Theo was too. They’d lost Walter, but Caroline had adopted several more older dogs, deciding they had to be rescues.

Finally, he looked at Theo. Tried to really see him, seperate to all that anger and bullshit they had been defined by for nearly 15 odd years. The green of his eyes, sort of greyish and stormy, just like Caroline’s. The curve of his jaw, sharp, but sort of rounded. The stubble, which was a little more present than it ever had been in Liam’s living memory. The little mole on his cheek. He was objectively good looking, yes, but Liam had also seen him in every phase of life. The chubby faced mean kid who would let him play with them. He didn’t look like that now. Now, he looked like the epitome of what a royal should be. Strong, good looking. He looked so perfect Liam wondered if he was built in a lab. The only reminder that he wasn’t was that Theo was an absolute cockhead a significant amount of the time, which Liam assumed no lab would create.

When his eyes lingered too long, Liam snapped them away, trying to listen to the conversation again. He’d wanted to save this memory, to hold it in his mind, but he felt weird now for examining them all so closely. Every little feature. But he wished he could go back and save those memories and details with his Dad or with Jon, so he took the chances he had.

*

Theo showed Liam to the bedroom. It was clean and nice and bigger than most people would have, but there was something off about it. Probably, it was that this was the first year that the boys wouldn’t share a room.

Sure, they had stopped being able to comfortably share a bed years before, and they always avoided looking at or talking to each other at night, but still. Years of kicking each other late or night or arguing over the blankets.

They were adults now. It was a relief, frankly, Theo didn’t want to deal with Liam walking around in his boxers way too often for another whole six weeks. Liam had no sense of personal space at night and talked way too loud in his sleep. This was a relief. He would finally be free of Liam’s night time bullshit.

Liam didn’t seem to be bothered by the prospect of not sharing a room with Theo though, he bounded directly onto the bed like an oversized golden retriever and Theo rolled his eyes.

“Knock it off, Little Prince, all the furniture is antique.”

Liam scoffed, “Okay, grandma.”

“You know, you’ve gotten older, but you haven’t gotten any less annoying.” Theo groaned, and Liam stretched his arms up and folded them behind his head, grinning. “What are you so fuckin’ happy about? It’s freaking me out, I never see you smile.”

Liam’s shoulder jutted up in a shrug and his eyes were closed when he spoke. “Thought I was gonna have to share a bed with you... again.”

Liam’s eyes were still closed and Theo eyed him. He’d changed. Visibly. Even two years ago, he was just an awkward kid. He still had the crazy blue eyes, but he hadn’t looked like he did now. Now, it was like someone had pulled him right out of the goddamn Disney prince catalogue. Though, the illusion was ruined as soon as he opened his mouth and random annoying junk came out.

“Are you kidding me?” Theo asked with a scoff. “You should be so lucky, I’m the hottest person you’re ever gonna get in bed.”

Liam snorted, “I’ve spent nearly fifteen years with you and I still don’t know where your ass ends and your head begins. So damn cocky. Bet the Ladies out there love that.”

“How much time do you spend looking at my ass trying to figure it out?” Theo quipped easily, “Because you’re welcome.”

“I’m welcome? For what? Spending my whole life putting up with your conceited nonsense? You’re welcome.” Theo was distracted a second too long, because a pillow bounded off his head.

“Hey, where’s Nolan, by the way? I haven’t seen him.” Liam asked the question casually, but Theo felt automatically annoyed. Every year. Every damn year, Liam and Nolan ran around the castle, flirting and chatting like an old married couple. It annoyed the everloving shit out of Theo. Josh would have him believe it was jealousy, but Theo would argue it had more to do with his utter impatience for couples.

“I don’t know, I’m not his Mum.” Theo scoffed, running a hand through his hair. Of course Liam would ask him that while he was sprawled out on the spare bed and throwing sarcastic insults. Bastard.

“No, but you... literally see him every day.” Liam argued, an eye opening to look at Theo.

Theo scoffed, moving closer and leaning against the bed frame. “Bold of you to assume I elect to spend so much time with some random guard I don’t know. He’s your boyfriend, not mine.”

Liam scoffed, “Yeah, okay.” He mocked, rolling his eyes sarcastically. “What is your problem with him anyway?”

“No problem. Don’t like it when you distract the help.”

“The help? Ew, you actually sounded like a monarch then. You can be friends with people who aren’t noble, y’know.”

“I know.” Theo nodded. “But he’s not my type.”

Liam rolled his eyes so dramatically that Theo wondered if he’d missed a calling in stage acting or something. “Do you have to make everything weird? He’s just a friend. You and Josh always had each other and I was often outnumbered and ganged up on.”

Theo sat on the edge of the bed, shaking his head. “Not true. Do you know how many times I played rummy with you, Liam? I don’t even like rummy! Or how many times did you talk me into playing dress up? You weren’t the little wilting flower you pretend you were.”

Liam blinked. “You don’t like rummy?”

“No. You like rummy. I’m a good host.”

Liam sat up, looking at Theo seriously, his weirdly bright blue eyes cutting into Theo’s soul (or something). “Theo, how many fucking fights about rummy did you make me sit through, and you didn’t even like the game? Are you kidding me?!”

“Hey,” Theo defended, “I was just being a good host and playing what you wanted to play.”

“Oh, Theo,” Liam’s smile widened and Theo groaned, knowing Liam was about to start mocking him. “I had no idea you cared.” He teased, sarcastic.

“Ugh, why do you make me regret any time I’m not bullying you, Dumbar?”

Liam was still grinning though, pride and amusement written all over his face. Bastard was enjoying this way, way too much. “Oh, don’t play coy now, Theo,” He teased, resting a hand on Theo’s cheek mockingly. “I just found out you’ve played seven hundred games of rummy in the last two years alone because you secretly like me.”

“I don’t fucking like you.” Theo scoffed, “I am categorically opposed to your existence, but I’ve never had a choice and you’re less annoying when you’re not bitching about the games we’re playing.”

Liam’s grin only widened, and Theo was wondering if he could simply stop existing right there and then, but then Liam started singing, and maybe that was the worst part. “You think I’m gorgeous, you want to love me, date me and marry me.” He sung mockingly, leaning closer to Theo, who recoiled like he’d been stung. Nope. He refused to fall pray to this. He refused to be charmed by Liam like everybody else seemed to be. No one else might remember, but Theo still remembered exactly how annoying Liam was.

“Okay, well, fuck you then.” Theo peeled out of the room, Liam’s loud and bright laughter echoing through the halls after him.

*

**Theo** : I’m going to kill him.

**Diaz** : It’s been less than 24 hours man, wtf

**Theo** : yes. and in less than 24 hours, i’m going to fucking kill him

**Diaz** : What’d he do, shit in ur cheerios??

**Theo** : he sung that stupid song from miss congeniality to me

**Diaz** : ?¿

**Diaz** : I have at least seventeen follow up questions

**Theo** : you know the one. the one she sings to the guy outside the pool.

**Diaz** : ... he sung a very flirty song saying ‘you think i’m gorgeous’ to u? is that what you’re telling me here?

**Theo** : yes

**Diaz** : Ok and?

**Theo** : AND??????

**Theo** : and i’m going to kill him

**Diaz** : ok so let’s run through this. you’ve been obsessed w this dude since you were six years old. you’re both adults now. he’s singing a flirty song at u (context btw?). rather than, idk, taking the moment to flirt back, ur gonna kill him?????

**Theo** : IM

**Theo** : first of all. dickhead. i am not obsessed w him. i have hated him forever. there is a very large, noticeable difference.

**Theo** : secondly. it’s not a flirty song. it’s a mocking song. i am being mocked.

**Theo** : finally, i never wanted to do this, but you leave me no choice

**Theo** : you are also on my fucking hit list

**Diaz** : ok cool. i’d like to see you try, angry boi. can you tell me the context now?

**Theo** : he was mocking me bc i brought up how i used to play dress up with him even tho i hated it

**Diaz** : i love you, but u are a true moron.

**Theo** : oi. show your highness some respect, yeah? or i’ll come egg your house

**Diaz** : Saw the picture of you two btw. dunbar got hot.

**Diaz** : trick comment, can’t get pissed at me without admitting you’re into him

**Diaz** : go flirt with your equally stupid boyfriend xoxox

*

‘Royal Friendship: From Infancy to Adulthood.’

'A Friendship of Kings.'

'All Grown Up: Best Friends Prince Liam and Prince Theo Reunite For Their Yearly Visit.'

Theo sighed as he read through the headlines, not entirely sure why he was bothering to look at all. It almost never helped anything, but he was curious. And he saw the photos, side by side. There was a full slideshow in one of the articles, but Theo was just looking at the main photo. The header photo. Him and Liam, side by side, little chubby cheeked boys looking uncomfortable and unsure. Liam's hair was blonder, and his eyes looked like they belonged to a kid out of a disney cartoon, but Theo could still see Liam in there. The almost shyness on his face, the way his feet were slightly turned in, like he was afraid. He remembered when Liam used to do that.

The second photo, from a few days before. They were both taller. Both broader. It was odd, really, and almost hard to believe that they were the same boys now that they were then.

It was weird to look at, and Theo was struck with the sudden realisation that this was all coming to an end. That this might be the last time he sent desperate messages to Josh admitting that he was considering killing Liam just to get him to shut up. The last year they played this godawful rummy game to make Liam happy. The last year of doing any of it. Theo took a breath of relief. Six weeks, then it would be over. No more yelling for half of his summer.

“Okay,” Liam burst into the room, and Theo nearly fell backwards off the bed. He tried hard to keep his face unmoving, to not show how shocked he was, lest Liam get one up on him.

“Okay?” Theo asked, surprised.

“You’re not the person I would ever want to ask this question to but you’re all I’ve got right now.” He paused to take a breath from his ridiculously fast little spiel, “Nolan isn’t here and our mothers are at some function,” He stopped, getting back into his little rant mode. “I do not get formalwear, even after all these years, I’m not sure if I’m colourblind or just stupid, but I can’t figure out my suit.”

Theo blinked, “Holt shit, man, what is your lung capacity? How did you fail to breath once during all that?”

“Shut up.” Liam grumbled, but it lacked bite. Theo smirked. “Will you help me or not?”

“Yeah.” Theo got to his feet, looking Liam up and down. He couldn’t have looked less like a Prince in that moment, wearing a shirt that looked like it was four years past it’s garbage date with several holes on it and a pair of shorts that Theo were pretty sure should be illegal. “Though I’m not sure how you’re going to pull yourself together to look like a major royal heir by tonight, because you look like a mess right now.”

Liam scoffed, "Okay, well, I'm not trying to look good right now, you're not the one I'm trying to impress." He defended, turning to walk out, obviously expecting Theo to follow. Theo did, without question. "Besides, I clean up fine. I just suck with colours. And just... I don't know, making myself look presentable. Mom says I could get staff for that, but... I like to at least pretend to be normal once every few years, y'know?"

Theo couldn't help but watch, somewhat captivated, as Liam waved his arms around dramatically as he walked, heading off towards his room in nearly excitable bounds. If Theo didn't know any better, he would think Liam was actually nervous about the evening. In a way, it was kind of refreshing to know that Liam wasn't just naturally good at this shit either. Theo was good at it, to be sure, people liked him, he impressed easily and knew how to hold himself, but he always felt... fake. Like someone would look at him one day and just know he was an imposter of a sort.

Maybe everyone in their position felt like an imposter. Maybe none of them were the perfect, well groomed nobles they pretended to be, but instead just people, hoping no one looked at them too closely and figured out they were faking it. As far as Theo was concerned, that would be a relief. Mind, nobody had called him on it yet.

"You know, it doesn't matter if the suit's perfect anyway."

Theo ought to be careful. He was being unusually kind, and he knew Liam would pick up on the shift. Though, in honesty, Theo didn't know what it meant either. He just knew he had the weird and uncomfortable urge to validate or help with Liam's fears in some way. He wasn't good at it, really, but he tried. Maybe he was finally growing up. His father would be so proud, Theo thought sarcastically.

Liam glanced over at him suspiciously, "Is this how it's going to be now that we're in direct competition? You're going to sabotage me and make me look like a colourblind child with no dress sense?"

Theo couldn't help but scoff at that. The idea was ridiculous. If Theo was trying to sabotage Liam, this wouldn't be how he would do it. He'd thought about it before, actually. When he was younger, and more bitter, and his Dad had loved Liam more than he loved him. He'd considered ways to actually hurt him-- not so much physically, but emotionally. Or hurt his reputation. Things he could get him to do or say. Pictures he could release. Things he could bait Liam into. Liam, though smart, was remarkably easy to fire up, and Theo was pretty good at getting a rise out of him. Really, it sort of pissed him off when he was able to resist getting angry at Theo and getting all up in his face with competitiveness and annoyance.

That was Theo's bread and butter. But at the end of the day, he didn't truly want to ruin the other prince. He just wanted to... make him suffer a little bit. In the privacy of Theo's castle.

"Oh, absolutely. I plan to stop you from  _ ever _ being able to marry and produce an heir for your kingdom. I will simply make you so ugly that you are undateable."

"I'm not sure whether to go with the classic cocky option here of: that's totally impossible, I am too gorgeous to ever be made undateable, or to go with the newer, more realistic response of: you're too late for that, I am already not what any noblewoman is going to be looking for, since I perpetually look like a confused child, and the whole world has seen me with several black eyes." Liam answered, and Theo couldn't see his face, but he really couldn't be sure if Liam was joking, or if he was actually doubting himself. Theo wasn't prepared to throw a 'Liam deserves love' parade today, especially considering he wasn't sure when he'd actually stopped wishing death and doom on Liam on the daily, but he also wasn't comfortable with the thought of Liam thinking so lowly of himself.

"Go with the classic." Theo said casually, "It freaks me out when you use self-deprecating humour, it's my job to insult you, not yours."

Liam snorted, "So you want me to be nice to myself so you can knock me down further?" He asked.

Theo actually didn't know the answer. He wasn't sure why it bothered him to hear Liam speak about himself like that, he only knew that it did bother him. "Exactly," He shrugged, not knowing how else to answer and not wanting to show weakness. "That's my job. Your mother signed you up for this from childhood. I can't fail her now, after all these years."

"It is something like a last hurrah." Liam obliged as they walked.

"Is it really?" Theo asked, raising his brows. "However will you cope without my constant bullying? Surely it's sort of comforting now, if for nothing else than its consistency." He went on teasing, trying to ignore the nagging feeling he got in his stomach when Liam mentioned this being the last time. Would he just never see Liam after this? Or see him at parties once every few years but never really speak to him? Would all of it just be gone forever? Whatever weird, inexplicable bond they had? Of hating each other, but weirdly, sort of getting each other? In a few years, Liam would undoubtedly be married, probably producing heirs, certainly readying himself to step onto his throne. And Theo... would likely be doing the same. It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter.

Theo didn't really want children. He didn't really want to get married. He didn't really want a whole line of tradition and royalty on his shoulders. He knew he couldn't live up to that image. To what people wanted from him. He'd known it years ago. He'd known it when his friends had begun to notice girls and he hadn't. He'd known it when he realised that the people he did notice were not the ones he was supposed to be with. There was no exact rule, not written on paper, but Theo was a future King. One of the most powerful people in the world. And his role in this life was already written before he was even born, no matter what or who he wanted. It served no one and nothing for Theo to let himself indulge those desires, because they would never come to anything.

"Hello?" Liam asked, his voice sing song and sarcastic. "Are you even listening to me?"

As a matter of fact, Theo was absolutely not listening to Liam, having disappeared into his own whirlpool of thoughts for a moment, but he didn't particularly want to let on, so instead he said. "Like I said. You need my bullying. Ignoring you is just another form of that."

"You're..." Liam trailed off for a minute, lost in thought as they arrived at the guest room he was staying in, "You are a sad strange little man, and you have my pity." He settled on.

Theo's brows raised. "Toy Story? Are you quoting Toy Story at me?"

He cleared his throat, and then began again, "I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries." Liam wasn't looking at Theo now, instead digging through his closet, so Theo felt he was allowed to let himself grin in response to Liam's nerdy insults, rather than having to pretend not to be amused.

"Monty Python." Theo answered, nodding, "I know that one too."

Liam didn't look up, but began throwing things out of the closet. When had he even set this all up? "You stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder." He called out, his voice incredibly unconvincing, as if he was more focused on the task at hand, but needed to keep insulting Theo.

"Star Wars." Theo answered, unable to keep the laugh from seeping into his voice. Fuck, that was basically admitting defeat, even if he did know all of Liam's references.

"And you are in fact all of those things." Liam said, turning on the spot. "Okay, so... suits. Suit colours. I have multiple suits because I'm meant to be, y'know, promenading or whatever the fuck as an adult man at these things. The whole thing is such a joke. But I have no idea how I'm supposed to look for that. I'm convinced I was never cut out to be a prince at all."

“Relax, Dumbar. We’re young, good looking princes with charm and power and good mothers... it doesn’t matter if we’re cut out for it, as long as we don’t tell anyone, they’ll never know.” It was unusually kind of Theo, who was by then sprawled out on Liam’s bed staring at his nails casually. It was an overcompensation, not a thing about all this felt casual. But he couldn’t compliment Liam without panic rising in his chest, so he kept it as calm, as noncommittal as possible.

Liam stared at him, “Have you been body-snatched? Are you okay? Are you having some kind of episode?” Dear god, were his eyes blue. “Are you fucking with me? Are you about to drop a piano on my head or something?”

“Knock it off, Dumbar, I can be a nice person.”

“When? Where? Have the authorities been notified. Because I’m truly not convinced this isn’t a princess and the pauper situation going on right now and you’re actually your own kind, but down on your luck body double.”

Theo rolled his eyes, but he had to look away, because he was laying on Liam’s bed, and Liam was teasing him like he always did, and it was just getting overwhelming for Theo, who had never really been comfortable around Liam. They weren’t kids kicking each others’ shins in the dead of night anymore.

“Shut up, douche-canoe, I was trying to be nice.”

There was a moment of extended silence, of Liam staring at him with those huge stupid doe eyes and Theo pretending not to notice, when Liam spoke again. “Thanks.”

“Shut up, show me your suits.” Theo grumbled. Sirens were going off in his head. Too real, too real, too real.

An hour later, Liam was trying on his fourth suit, a sort of soft, navy thing. Theo was finding this whole experience oddly confronting, and he had the urge to yell at Josh for getting all of it in his head. It was hard to give opinions on how Liam looked, hard to find the line between nice, on brand and... too real.

“What colour are you wearing?” Liam asked. He looked like a puppy, and frankly, it irritated Theo. How did a grown-ass man look like that?

“Why does it matter what I’m wearing?” Theo asked back, brows raising. “I hate to disappoint you, but you’re not my date, Little Prince.”

Liam looked embarrassed for a moment, but then groaned, “Don’t be a dick, Theodore, because now I don’t want to tell you why I asked.”

If nothing else, that spiked Theo’s interest. He sat up, shifting forward on the bed. “Oh well, now you have to tell me why you asked.”

"No, fuck you." Liam grumbled, looking for the next suit to try on. How many fucking suits did he bring anyway? Watching Liam do a fashion show was not how Theo thought he was going to be spending his summer. Still, this grumpy and defensive attitude was classic Liam.

"Come on, Liam, just tell me."

"No."

"Yes."

"Or what...?" Liam snapped, brows raised at him challengingly.

Theo raised his brows at Liam right back, a smirk slipping onto his face. “Or what?” He asked, “Is that really something you want to challenge me on?”

They held each others’ eyes for a moment, and Liam shrugged. “What can you do to me? It’s not like you haven’t already tortured me for years at a time.”

They both kept staring, and Theo got to his feet. Frankly, he had no idea what he was planning to do, but he knew if this was a game of chicken, he could outlast Liam. Liam was impulsive and often easily angered, but he wasn’t actually stupid.

“Fine. I asked because you always look so good at these things and I don’t know how to do that.”

Theo blinked. Not what he was expecting. Compliments were something he was fairly used to. He was a crown prince after all, one of the most powerful and influential people in the world. People would say anything to him to get him on side. But Liam wasn’t one of those people. Equally powerful, equally influential, equally lucky. Liam gained nothing from giving him fake compliments.

Apparently, Theo was used to compliments, but not genuine compliments. Till now, he wasn’t sure he was even consciously aware of the distinction.

"Is this... are you fucking with me?" He asked, confused.

Liam scoffed, "Don't make me say it again, Theo. It was hard enough to be that nice the first time around. Will you just... help me now?"

Theo nodded slowly, wondering how this had gone from so funny to so awkward. "Uh, yeah. Next suit, off you go."

Liam nodded, and his hands went to his pants button, as if about to strip down right there in front of Theo. Theo's eyes widened, his brain momentarily short circuiting as he tried to figure out what the fuck was happening.

But then he caught himself, and looked away, "Not here, dumbass. Take the suit back to the bathroom and change."

Liam nodded, a smirk on his face, as if making Theo uncomfortable had been his purpose in the first place, which was entirely possible. He turned to walk off, and Theo wondered how he'd gotten his own back, leaving Theo on the back foot. He was still jumbled, which was unsettling.

**Theo** : now he's stripping in front of me.

**Former Best Friend** : ????? Why do I have to receive this text? What did I do to deserve this?

**Theo** : josh, please. what the fuck is happening to me?

**Former Best Friend** : I can't remind you every three days that you're obviously into him, it's ridiculous. you're going to have to figure your shit out eventually.

**Theo** : !!!!!! this is not helpful. i'm not into him, i just have no idea what the fuck i'm meant to do here.

**Former Best Friend** : I mean, if he's stripping in front of you, it seems like your next course of action is obvious...????

**Theo** : ... josh, i told him to go get dressed in the toilet

**Former Best Friend** : Moron.

**Theo** : i'm not into him.

**Former Best Friend** : Dramatic moron in denial.

Liam appeared a few moments later, holding his arms up at his side. The suit was sort of dark red, and though he lacked a tie (and hadn't bothered to do his top few buttons up), the vest dressed it up. It was tailored perfectly, which probably meant that Liam had only recently gotten it. Matter of fact, they all looked perfect. He supposed that was the luxury of their respective positions. His own were much the same way.

"Nice." Theo said casually, brows raised. "What do you think of it?"

Liam looked down at himself, and his brows pinched together. "I don't know." He said finally, "I just don't... suit this. It looks wrong on me, I look like a kid in adult's clothing."

Despite himself, a smile pulled across Theo's face. "You don't look like a kid in adult's clothing." He got to his feet, moving closer to Liam. He wasn't sure he'd seen him look quite this nervous since he was a chubby cheeked five year old missing one of his front teeth. He reached out, doing up Liam's undone buttons, almost thoughtless. He couldn't give himself a reason for his actions, except that he felt the need to fix it. Felt the need to reassure him in some way. "You look good, very handsome. Wear this one." He nodded once, and then, realising what he was doing, that he was being too nice, that it was all getting too real, Theo turned on his heel, walking out of Liam's guest room and back into his own, knowing he had to get ready himself, and also just knowing he needed space.

He got back into his room and dropped backwards onto his bed, hands over his head. What was he doing? Why was he doing this? He had hated Liam all his life, had taken pleasure in making his life miserable whenever he came here. Sure, there had also been years of Theo playing rummy because Liam liked it or playing the cop to Liam's robber or whatever other stupid thing he'd concocted that year. Nonetheless, they weren't friends. They weren't anything, really, other than forced acquaintances. Theo just needed to remember that. He needed to go back to living in that place.

He pulled himself up and forced himself to go get dressed, to take a shower and act like everything was fine. He had to go to this thing anyway, and he was going to have to talk to people and dance and all that shit he hadn't enjoyed a single time since he first turned eighteen and started having to go to all of them. At least he wouldn't be walking in alone tonight, but with Liam, though he wasn't sure that helped too much.

By the time he'd showered, done his hair and was ready to leave, or at least prepare to leave, he was feeling a little calmer. This was fine. He was having some kind of crisis, but he figured it was just because a childhood tradition was ending. And because he had to go to one of these stupid events again.

He found himself sitting in the drawing room with a book in his hands, waiting impatiently for Liam to appear so they could leave. They would be late regardless, though that was kind of par for the course considering their station. They were almost expected to make a late and dramatic entrance. Still, Theo was never good at waiting around for other people, he always went by his own clock. And while the books in the library were technically Liam's now, he figured Liam wouldn't mind him reading them. Especially since they'd belonged to Theo's father.

He had settled on a greyish suit for himself, and wondered if he looked like something out of a bad Christmas movie, sitting here folded up in a leather chair and tailored suit, reading a book. Wrong time of year, but he thought it still seemed distinctly 'lifetime movie'.

Liam however, walked into the room more like a comedy than a lifetime movie, walking into the doorframe as he went.

"Ah yes, so princely, right up till you move or open your mouth." Theo commented, not looking up from his book as he turned the page.

"Shut up, Theo. I'm scared. It's a ball. In a foreign country. My first as a legal adult." He commented and Theo sighed, closing the book and shifting in his seat to face Liam.

"You have nothing to worry about, Little Prince, you're not going to screw anything up, and even if you did, nobody would be game to comment on it, because you're you." He got to his feet, moving to where Liam stood to straighten his tie, which he wasn't sure he had ever seen be straight and in position once in his life. He looked at the tie, rather than at Liam. "We had childhoods filled with an inordinate amount of pressure, with no freedom, with no choices, with no privacy, but we traded all that for the insane privilege of people overlooking the fact that we're actually incredibly imperfect, awkward and unprepared young men. You could say any stupid thing and people will still eat it up. That's the beauty part."

Theo had spent his entire life with people telling him how lucky he was, and while that was unequivocally true, their life, like any, came with challenges. Sure, they'd never starve or have nowhere to go, but there were other pains and other difficulties and they couldn't really explain them to anyone who didn't understand without sounding incredibly ungrateful. Maybe he was ungrateful. But the one relief of being friends with Liam all his life was that Liam stood in his exact position. With all the privileges and all the exploitation of the blood that ran through their veins.

Liam still looked nervous, but breathing had stopped being quite so harsh and rapid. He nodded, "You're not going to abandon me there, right?" He sounded really young all of a sudden, and really innocent, and some self-sabotaging part of Theo's brain wanted him to make a joke, to mock Liam for needing the assurance. But another part of Theo, perhaps the smarter part, felt happy. A fluttering feeling.

He let his eyes rake over Liam for a moment. How far the younger Prince had come. From the awkward little boy who'd followed him around the castle, obviously heartbroken when Theo had been mean to him (and why the hell couldn't Theo ever stop?) to the man who stood in front of him. He was still slightly gangly, but he had wide blue eyes and long eyelashes and a sharp jaw and any noble would be silly not to try to attach themselves to him while he was young and naive. Not that Theo wasn't also young, but he had never been as naive as Liam had.

"Course not." Theo said, patting his shoulder. "Not that I think you'll need it, every noblewoman there is going to be vying to get onto your arm."

*

"I'm scared."

Theo sighed dramatically, "Liam, for god sake, this is literally your job. You were bred to do this. You're like a show pony. Go out there and... I don't know, what the fuck do show ponies do? Jump over some... fences or something."

"I..." Liam frowned, "Theo, you literally have horses. You ride them. Very proficiently. Remember? Doodlebug and Lasagne?"

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, Liam, I remember my horses, but I just ride them around our property, I don't like, compete with them or anything. I'll have you know, it isn't just Doodlebug and Lasagne either. I've also got Raisin Bran, Frosting and Tinky Winky."

Theo was admitting something embarrassing here, and Liam didn't know why, but he'd be damned if he wasn't sort of thrilled about it. "Raisin Bran, Frosting and Tinky Winky? I've never understood what goes on in your head, but I'm more confused now than ever before."

That much was true. The older Liam got, the more he realised he didn't understand Theo Raeken at all. He knew him, he figured probably better than most people, but he had always been unpredictable and sometimes rather cruel. Cruel Theo, Liam understood. Nice, funny Theo? Super confusing. Liam never knew when it was coming and weirdly, it put him on edge more than awful, mean Theo.

"I was a child, and yet, I regret nothing. Those are excellent names. Original and entertaining, as demonstrated by your smile right now." Theo was smiling back, and was this some kind of prank? Since when was Theo nice to him? Casually? Without being forced? He was half expecting to fall through a trap door to his doom at this point, for all the years of his life he'd spent waiting for Theo to drop the boom.

"Now that you're appropriately amused by mocking my wonderful horse naming skills, can we go in? These things are always awkward, but just... take a deep breath and don't fall down the stairs."

"What?!"

Theo pushed ahead of him and walked into the site of the ball, something out of a fucking fairytale with a long set of winding, marble stairs. When Theo approached the top of the stairs, the crowd turned to look, and most of them dropped down into a bow. Liam was absolutely not prepared. He watched Theo descend with a grace someone that bitchy should not be allowed to possess. He didn't look real. He looked like he'd been created in a lab. The suit was perfect, his hair was perfect, nothing about him radiated anything but sheer calm and control. Liam couldn't have hated him more in that moment.

He took a few steps forward, walking up to the stairs and trying to think of something he could sing in his mind that might distract him. ‘ _ Bananas in pjyamas are going down the stairs. Bananas in pyjamas are chasing teddy bears’. _ He sung the stupid kids rhyme in his head as he descended, feeling the eyes of hundreds of people watching him closely as he walked. The stupid kids song that had been sung to him so many times as a child because he had an au pair who was Australian. It was unfamiliar to him, the source of it, but the song seemed as good as anything else to distract him, especially as he walked down a flight of stairs. Once his foot hit the floor, he breathed a deep sigh of relief, trying to shake the stupid children's song from his head now that he was safe.

Theo waited for him at the bottom of the stairs, a half smile on his face, and Liam almost wondered if he could hear Liam singing embarrassing childhood songs in his head or something. He rarely smiled at Liam unless he was about to make fun of him in some way. But he didn't, this time, he only nodded his approval, and told Liam he had done a good job, that he had seemed very brooding and princely. Liam knew the comment was a joke, but he still felt nervous, a cold pang in his stomach every time he looked around and saw unfamiliar nobles watching him.

"Relax," Theo finally said, leaning over to Liam a little more, his eyes betraying a little bit of concern Liam had never expected to see on him.

"We've met before, right? Relaxation isn't really my... vibe." Liam explained, and Theo just smirked at him. Liam shook his head, feeling a little more embarrassed than anything else, knowing that he was far more ill-at-ease than Theo ever would have been in the same situation. He looked like a natural in all this. Liam knew that technically, women were more eye-catching at these events. Long, flowing, beautiful gowns and extravagant hair. And while he usually found that to be specifically true for him as well, he thought Theo had a way of capturing the room, and he wished he had the same quality.

"Yes, well, it should be. Have a drink, undo your jacket buttons. You'll be fine, just get out of your own head a little bit."

Liam knew Theo was right, but he wasn't actually sure where he was meant to get a drink. It wasn't that he'd never been to events before, he had, just not adult ones. The family friendly events like this had a totally different tone, and he knew that would be the case. But then Theo was catching the attention of a man in a tuxedo handing out champagne and a moment later, Liam was downing a glass in an instant.

Theo snorted, "I wasn't expecting you to inhale it. Do you want me to get you another one?"

Liam just smiled, and Theo nodded, walking away for a moment to grab another champagne flute.

Liam stood a little awkwardly, trying to force himself to stand completely straight, to look natural and comfortable. He rested his hands in his pockets, and looked around the room, taking in peoples' outfits, pairings, their dancing. The music was very nice, but hard to dance to without ballroom dancing.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned, expecting Theo to have returned with the champagne. Instead, he was facing a young woman he had never seen before. He hadn't met most of the nobles from Theo's home, so that was no great surprise, though he was taken off guard because he hadn't been expecting her.

"Good evening," She greeted with a smile, "I'm Kira," She told him, curtsying and then holding out a hand. Liam took it with a smile, glad the traditions weren't as tight as they used to be, since he would find that overtly more awkward.

"Liam." He introduced, sort of relieved.

"Oh," She laughed, "I know. I've heard of you, your highness."

Liam winced, "Ooh, no, thank you. I hate being called that. Just Liam is perfectly fine."

"Oh, well, I was wondering if you might want to dance, Just Liam." She said brightly, "It's not too often we get to dance with the crown prince from another country around here. And people around here are pretty attached to you. You know, because of the photos of you and his highness."

Liam blinked, a little awkward, but finally nodded. He was an awful dancer, despite having had to learn growing up for just such an occasion, and had two left feet. There was no way he would be able to be the graceful royal he was meant to be, but at least hopefully he would look good in photos. Or... not terrible, maybe.

She held out a hand to him, and Liam took it, letting her lead him out to the dance floor. She was, thankfully, not taller than him, and he found her pleasant right off the bat. "I'm going to level with you, I haven't done a lot of this dancing thing."

"I can lead, if you want." She offered, and Liam had decided pretty quickly that he liked her. She was absolutely the kind of person he could see himself getting along with.

"Life saver." He said with a shy smile, and he followed along, stepping to the beat of the song.

They were staring at each other, because he knew that they were supposed to continue making eye contact, but they only managed it seriously for a few moments before they both bust out laughing.

"It's probably a bad sign that you're laughing at me," Kira said, though she was laughing herself. Liam was quick to shake his head, not wanting to hurt her feelings or anything. It really had nothing to do with that, it was just the sheer awkwardness of all of this. Knowing people were watching. Being so close to a stranger. Knowing how terrible he was at this.

"Laughing with you," Liam promised, a warm smile on his face. "Don't worry, it won't look like I'm laughing at you, it'll look like we're having a great time."

“Well, you’re doing fine.” She told him, grinning, “Haven’t stepped on any toes yet.”

“So,” Liam asked as he moved in time with her, “Are you titled?” He knew it was probably an odd question to ask, but he wasn’t sure what else he could ask. “My father is a Lord. Technically, at least.” She half smiled, “I don’t know how much those titles really carry anymore.”

“Well, I imagine if enough people die, it puts you somewhere in line for the throne. Might be three hundredth, but still.” She laughed again, and Liam was glad. It really was putting him at ease.

By the time the song ended, the two were chatting happily about music they enjoyed, and Liam thought that if everyone was so nice and informal, this would be easy. Though really, he had no idea if it was.

She curtseyed and took her leave, and Liam made his way back to where Theo stood, brows raised, two champagne flutes in hand. He held one out as Liam approached.

“Someone wasted no time in finding a dance partner,” He commented. He was smiling, but Liam felt like he’d annoyed him in some way.

“Thanks,” He said, sipping the wine, “It really took the edge off, actually.” He paused at Theo’s question, thoughtful. “Well, she asked me. And I figure if no one else does the rest of the evening, at least there will be pictures so I wouldn’t look like a failure at this thing, y’know?”

“Oh, no. You don’t look like a failure at all. The two of you looked very happy together.” Liam couldn’t place it. Theo was smiling, and his words were nice enough, but there was something off in the way he spoke.

“Well, yeah. She was super friendly.” Liam shrugged, taking another sip. “So tell me, who should I be watching out for? Or trying to dance with?” He asked, glancing around the room.

Theo nodded, glancing around the room. “Well, some of my cousins are here. Aunts and uncles as well, I would recommend steering clear of anyone who looks like me. My family is a disaster zone.”

He began pointing people out, but as Liam glanced around, he caught eyes with a redheaded girl, who was, without question, absolutely stunning. Maybe he seemed distracted, because Theo moved to get his attention, but the redheaded woman was already walking towards him and Liam suspected he knew what was about to happen.

“Might I steal the Prince from you?” She asked, addressing Theo.

Theo stood a little straighter, and his expression was stony and regal. “Of course, Lydia, though I’m not sure he’s mine to be stolen.” He gave a tight laugh and the girl, Lydia, echoed it back. They didn’t seem to be friends, but Liam didn’t think too much of it.

She held a hand out to him, “So?” She asked him, a wide smile on her face. She knew she was pretty, Liam was sure, and from the jump, he got the impression she was a woman in control. Again, he was instantly impressed. Maybe a little intimidated.

Liam took her hand and again, he followed her out onto the floor. Perhaps he wasn’t a natural leader when it came to dancing. Or perhaps Lydia was a natural leader in general. Either way, she was definitely in charge.

Liam glanced over at Theo, who was downing the champagne in his hand. Liam had handed his over to him at the last moment, and he saw Theo drink that too. He wondered if Theo usually drank so much so quickly.

“I feel like a hot commodity.” Liam joked to her, and she smiled back. She seemed more comfortable out of Theo’s presence, and Liam wondered if there was history there, or if it was just something else he didn’t understand. Maybe her asking Liam and not Theo?

She nodded, and her curls bounced. “You are.” She admitted, “Normally everyone’s after his royal highness, but normally, we don’t have a crown prince from another kingdom in our midst.” She confessed, and Liam found he appreciated her honesty on the subject.

“Ah, so I’m... what’s the word? A novelty?” He laughed, fine with that analysis. “Is that why Theo’s in bad spirits? Because of the attention on me?”

She shrugged, “I admit, your highness, I was going to ask you the same question. I thought maybe you’d had another fight.”

"Another?"

She raised her brows, then shrugged, "Well... You've both been bruised or broken at least five of the last ten years that the two of you have said goodbye on camera. Also neither of you ever looked particularly happy going in or out. Even now, talking to each other, his royal highness seems... impatient."

"You're observant." Liam noted, brows raising.

"Sort of my thing," She said with a smile, "I take it I'm not wrong then."

"I can neither confirm nor deny anything you just said." He half smiled. For all he knew, she could go to the press with anything he said, and confirming he and Theo had a tumultuous at best relationship seemed like a bad plan.

She laughed, and Liam got the feeling she didn't need him to confirm or deny a thing. She was probably smart enough to know what was going on if she was paying enough attention to pick up on all this when most people had been referring to them as 'best friends' for years.

"No, we didn't have a fight." He finally added casually, stepping easily to the music. "He was fine before, I'm not sure why he's in a bad mood now."

She smiled up at him, "Well, then it's lucky you're here with me now instead, isn't it?"

Liam smiled back at her, but he glanced over at Theo at her comment, who still looked irritated at best. He really had no idea why, but he wondered if it was the attention on Liam. After all, Theo had always been... confident. And this was his Kingdom, after all. It was entirely possible he wouldn't like Liam stealing focus the way he was.

She began asking him questions, about his Kingdom, about his mother. As it turned out, Lydia knew a lot about it already. His home, his family, his lineage. The more she spoke, the more it seemed like she was a lot smarter than him. Not that it was hard to be a lot smarter than him, really.

Hours passed, and Liam didn't get a second to himself. Girl after girl approached him, Lady after Lady, even some mothers hoping to talk their daughters up to him. Liam was exhausted, and his frustration only grew. He had shot several pleading looks over at Theo throughout the evening, hoping that his... whatever the hell Theo was, his acquaintance, would come help him if he looked desperate and pathetic enough. Whatever he was going for, he wasn't getting it, because Theo didn't approach. Matter of fact, Theo barely moved from his corner of the room all evening. People did approach him occasionally, speak to him, from what Liam saw, but Theo didn't dance with anyone. Maybe it was just his mystique or something, being mysterious and distant, but Liam found himself mildly concerned about the whole thing.

At a point, he was surrounded by multiple women and, unable to compete with his own anxiety about it, he excused himself to the bathroom. Once inside the ridiculously large and fancy bathroom, he took a sharp breath, trying to teach himself to calm down. He took long, deep breaths and after a few minutes, he pulled his phone out.

**Liam:** I hate this

**Mase:** ??

**Liam:** i'm hiding in the bathroom at this ball bc i'm afraid

**Mase:** afraid of what?

**Liam:** all the girls trying to get in with a prince and all their mothers trying to get them in with a prince

**Mase:** ... this is the weirdest and most first world problem i've ever heard

**Liam:** forgive me if i'm not a huge fan of people trying to get close to me just because of my title but not caring about getting to know me as a person

**Mase:** How do you know they don't want to get to know you as a person?

**Liam:** i don't. and i never will. and that's the problem.

**Mase:** At least you've got His Royal Asshole with you??

**Liam:** :’) true. altho i think he's pissed at me too

**Mase:** ?

**Liam** : idk. when is he ever not pissed at me?

A moment later, the door swung open again and Theo entered, looking mildly irritated, but also sort of relieved. Maybe he had been looking for Liam. The newly legal Prince probably shouldn’t be hiding in a toilet, but it’d become too much so quickly for him, and Theo hadn’t been any help out there.

“What are you doing in here?” Theo asked, looking around the place. Posh. It was so posh. Marble sink tops and a wide open room. There were multiple ornate looking chairs, maybe in case of someone like Liam deciding to hide out in there. Cubicles as well, which Liam hadn’t ventured into, but which he was sure were just as fancy, if the gold lined towels at every sink were anything to go by. Of course, Liam had grown up in luxury. But things like these never ceased to surprise him.

“I needed to take a breath. And while a bathroom isn’t the best air to breath, I figured it was better than going outside and having every Lady and her mother follow me out.” Liam admitted, arms folding nervously over his chest.

Theo regarded him coolly, and Liam couldn’t quite figure out what he was thinking. Theo had always been that way. Liam was an open book, never great at hiding things or lying. He tried, sure, but it wasn’t really in his nature. He was, for lack of a more complimentary term for it, an emotional person. He wasn’t good at shutting things away inside.

But Theo... Theo had always been a closed door. Every time Liam thought he got closer to understanding him, the door slammed in his face and Liam was realising he knew nothing. There was the Theo who bullied him, who locked him out of the Castle one night when they were nine, the Theo who kicked his chair out from under him and called him names on the regular.

Then there was the other Theo. The one who helped him fix his tie or who insisted on helping him get safely back after he fell off his horse. The Theo whose favourite horse was named Lasagne and whose new rescue dog was named Peanut-butter. The Theo who had seemingly followed him in here to check on him. Liam truly had no idea which was real. If both were real or neither.

“They’re a lot, aren’t they?” Theo snorted, “Honestly, it’s sort of nice not to be the one they’re all pointed at tonight.”

Liam scoffed, “Could’ve fooled me, you’ve looked like someone shat in your cheerios all night.” He told the other boy, moving to the basin to splash water on his face.

“Yes, well, if I’m unapproachable and you’re a little puppy in a nice suit, smiling and laughing at all the eligible and desperate Ladies, then I’ll be left alone and you can be the bell of the ball.”

Liam glanced at Theo in the mirror. He was fixing the cuff of his sleeve and, annoyingly, he looked like a GQ model, even after hours and what he was sure was a lot of champagne. Even the ugly bathroom lighting didn’t diminish him, and Liam was too busy being jealous as hell that he didn’t look that to really process what Theo was saying.

“So I’m the sacrificial lamb then?”

“Yep.” Theo told him, a smirk pulling at one side of his mouth. Liam hated him.

“You’re going to abandon me again when we go back out, aren’t you?” Liam asked.

“You abandoned me, Li. You’re the one who went off to dance while I was getting you a drunk.” He fixed his tie, patting off the shoulders of his suit and went to walk back out. “But yes. However will I disappoint every girl in my Kingdom who’s absolutely set on marrying you and producing little heirs in the next few years?”

He walked out then, leaving Liam alone and pouting about the whole thing. Bloody Theo. He followed him back out and within moments, he was swarmed once more. By the end of the evening, he was sure he had danced with every lady there, and all of their mothers. People were beginning to leave, and Liam was wondering if the place had to be empty before he could allow himself to get drunk. Theo seemed to be well on his way himself, quietly staring off into space in the corner, his expression pinched and unpleasant.

Liam grabbed a few more champagne flutes here and there, but mostly, he was fairly sober. God, did he want that to change. He made for a waiter, grabbing two flutes off the tray and drinking them one after another. His head got a pleasant light feeling and he was glad. A few more and he might forget that his feet hurt and he could barely remember a single name anymore, including his own.

He wasn’t cut out for this in the slightest, and he didn’t like to think much of how much worse it was all going to get when he turned twenty-one and would be expected to seriously court, marry and have children with a woman, likely in a diplomatic and not at all romantic situation.

When enough people were gone, and the night was drawing to a close, Liam found his way to one of the ornate seats around the edges of the ballroom, dropped into one and downed another champagne.

A dark haired girl flopped into one beside him, and he glanced sideways at her.

Glossy black hair, jaw that could cut ice. She wore a black dress and sat as though she couldn’t think of anything worse than being expected to be a perfect lady. Perhaps Liam was wrong about having danced with every girl, because here was this girl. Beautiful, but normal.

“Hey,” She said, taking a sip of her own glass of champagne. She said it so casually and nonchalantly that Liam almost forgot he was still at this mind numbing function.

“Hi.” Liam answered, still watching her, somewhat confused. Was she one of the noblewomen? Something else?

“I’m Hayden.” She told him, holding out a hand to him, casual and informal.

“Liam.” He answered, taking her hand. By this point, the waiters had realised Liam just wanted to be supplied with more alcohol, so he was getting the little glasses much more frequently now. If only the champagne flutes weren’t so small to begin with.

“Yeah, I know.” She half smiled, and she was beautiful. “You look like you’ve had a... what’s the word... capitalistic evening.”

Liam raised his brows at her, curious about what that could possibly mean.

“People seem like they’re staking their bids on you. As if you’re a particularly enticing car for them to buy or something.”

Liam broke out laughing, because it was true. The way people talked, about their titles and money and homes and even dowry (which, how the fuck could dowries still exist?), it was hard not to see himself as a business they were trying to pitch themselves to.

“Yeah, it’s a bit like that. That makes it sound fun or amusing though, when really it’s just... overwhelming and weirdly objectifying.”

She nodded, “You’re young, hot, polite and foreign. Of course they’re obsessed with you. I bet at least one girl dreamt of you falling in love on the spot and insisting on taking her home to your palace at the end of your stay.”

He laughed again, louder this time. He might be a little drunk now, but he decided he liked her too. She was funny. “Yes, well, I’m sad to disappoint them, but the only person I’ll be going home with is their Prince.”

“You should be so lucky.” Theo commented as he joined the two of them, dropping into a chair on the other side of Hayden. He was drunker than Liam, no doubt. “Cousin, going after the most eligible man in the world that you’re not related to might be a little idealistic, no?”

Liam looked between them. Cousins. They looked nothing at all alike, but they shot each other sarcastic smiles.

“Can you blame me, Your Highness?” She asked sarcastically, leaning up to brush a bit of Liam’s hair back, teasingly. “Besides, now that I see it bothers you, how could I not?”

“Bothers me? Please. I’m not sure which of you could do better but I’m sure something isn’t right about it. Though, I always imagined you were too independent to go after a Prince.” Theo teased back, brows raised at his cousin.

Liam just sat between them, feeling like he understood none of what was happening right at that moment.

“Well, it’s not my fault you’ve been hiding him away from us all these years.” She smirked. Liam had the distinct feeling this whole conversation wasn’t actually about him at all. He was just casually and uncomfortably the centre of it.

Liam cleared his throat, awkwardly interrupting the little argument going on around him. “Cousins?” He asked, “You’re cousins? How have I never met you?”

Theo grinned, as though Liam had asked the perfect question here, “Little Miss here got sent off to a boarding school as a child because she kept going off about the inherent inequality and unfairness of a monarchy at functions. Then she got kicked out of that one and sent to another.” He smirked at her, challenging.

“And I wear that like a badge of honour,” She told Theo with a grin.

“Didn’t know you were going to be here tonight?” Theo admitted with a smile, though this one was a little more genuine.

“Yes, well, it was a surprise. I didn’t realise you were going to be off brooding in a corner all night while Liam basked in the limelight.”

“It isn’t my fault Liam captured the hearts and minds of everyone here,” Theo scoffed, “Including yours, apparently.”

They took a moment to pull faces at each other, then she properly smiled. “I thought it might be a nice surprise for you... if you didn’t know I was coming,” She admitted. Theo smiled at her, and again, Liam was left feeling like he didn’t belong here.

Another girl approached him to dance. He was sure he’d already danced with her, and he desperately didn’t want to, but he didn’t want to be rude, so he nodded, getting to his feet.

Left behind, Theo and Hayden exchanged glances and smiles, before Hayden glanced off at Liam, who had his arms around the girl and was chatting away to her, as he always did. Sheer charm, sheer likability. Theo was sure any eligible woman from any kingdom would be running after him until he decided to settle down. Then they’d have to content with his wild competitiveness.

“Why don’t you go dance with him?” Hayden asked.

“That’s not... that’s not how it works here.” Theo said awkwardly, “It would be... people would be weird about me dancing with him.” And how could he? How could he get up there and have Liam’s hands on him and their bodies pressed together like that? It wasn’t something in the cards, and regardless, Liam had been his... frenemy his entire life, for lack of a better term. He wasn’t going to turn soft about it all now. “Besides, he can handle himself. Not my problem.”

Hayden eyed him for a moment, then shrugged. “If you say so. If you won’t do it, I will.” She challenged.

Something twisted uncomfortably in Theo’s stomach, but he just shrugged, hoping if he could ignore it, it would go away. “Okay. Go on then.”

She shrugged, “Suit yourself.” And so Theo watched, his stomach twisting, as Hayden walked right up to them, apparently very boldly asked to cut in, and then took the girls place with her hands on Liam’s shoulders. Liam was smiling brightly at her, clearly relieved, and she was smiling back, and Theo couldn’t help but frown.

This was the best case scenario, he told himself. Liam and Hayden getting together was good for his family, good for their kingdom, good for them both. Hayden was a nice, normal person. She wouldn’t be a gold digger or an awful, controlling partner. This was good. So why was Theo so angry?

It was just a dance, and she was not only his cousin but one of his dearest friends.

Still, he couldn’t rip his eyes away. He couldn’t stop watching when she tipped her head at him flirtatiously, and he couldn’t stop watching when Liam tipped his head back laughing. He was being irrational, he reminded himself. It was just a dance, and that was what Liam had come here for anyway.

He wished the song wasn’t so romantic. He wished they didn’t look so good together. He wished they both didn’t look so happy. He told himself it was because she was his cousin. He told himself it was because he’d hated Liam most of his life. He told himself he was just grumpy and jealous that Liam was getting so much attention.

Their dance ended and they began another one. It was the first time all evening that Liam had done that, and Theo sighed uncomfortably, shifting in his seat. This was good. This was a good thing.

Still, Theo allowed himself one moment of indulgence. He allowed himself to watch them and imagine himself there instead. He allowed himself to imagine his hands on Liam’s waist and Liam’s hands on his shoulders. He allowed himself to imagine being so close together. Swaying to the music. Imagined allowing people to see them together, going totally against the expectations on them. He allowed himself to imagine brushing Liam’s hair back a little, getting closer...

He cut his own line of thinking off. He reminded himself that he and Liam weren’t friends. They weren’t anything. They were weird allies, people forced together. There was nothing there except Theo’s own projections because he knew he’d never look at a girl the way he was supposed to.

No more indulgences.

Theo walked out of the ballroom, making his way out of the grand doors and leaning down over the edge of the balcony, to look at their well kept gardens. He needed air. Space. He had let this go too far already by even thinking about that. It didn’t mean anything. He hated Liam. Liam was just an attractive young man he could never have, hatred or no.

The night air was balmy, but not unpleasant. The wind was calming and refreshing and he needed it. Peace and quiet. Only his mind left to bother him now.

He took deep breaths, knowing the ball was drawing to a close and they’d be home soon. He should’ve snuck more champagne out here, he figured, but it was too late now, and he was just glad to be free. He jumped up onto the wide stone balustrade, sitting sideways, back leaned against a circular diving piece, legs stretched out and crossed in front of him.

He glanced back in, seeing a ballroom only a quarter as full as it had been a few hours before. The pleasant music was drowned out by wind and glass doors he’d passed through to get out here. It was a nice, ambient moment. He should’ve been at peace. Relaxed. Happy. He was so lucky to be where he was, yet all he could feel was... unhappy. The same aching, twisting unhappiness he’d felt all evening.

He nearly fell right of the balustrade when he heard the sound of the heavy glass doors banging shut. They were set beautifully, and very fancy, but loud.

“There you are.” Liam’s familiar voice cut through the near silence of the wind rustling the garden. He moved closer to the balustrade, standing beside Theo, hands stuffed in his pants pockets. Hours of dancing and drinking and chatting and he looked just as good as he had when they left.

“Here I am. I thought you’d be on your fifth dance with Hayden by now,” Theo said, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible. This didn’t mean anything, not any of it. He was just jealous Liam was getting the attention. Jealous Liam actually seemed interested in all these girls, rather than having to fake it. That was all.

“Just finished the fifth,” Liam said, a hint of levity in his expression. “You look like you could use a drink.”

Theo glanced up. “And where are you hiding those?” He asked. That was how this had all started. Theo going off to get Liam a drink. Not that any of his feelings were Liam’s fault or problem. It was only Theo’s own complicated dread around his future. Not about Liam at all.

Liam reached a hand into his suit jacket and produced a small silver flask. He held it out to Theo and Theo wasn’t sure he’d ever liked Liam Dunbar more in their decade plus of forced friendship.

He uncapped the flask and took a swig, before hanging it back to Liam. He pulled his legs in, crossing them in front of him on the stone, so that Liam would have room the sit too. Liam did, but sat on it crossways, as though it were a horse, facing Theo. He took his own deep swig of the drink. Theo watched, sort of impressed, as he downed a decent amount of it.

“Didn’t know you were a drinker.” Theo commented casually. At eighteen, maybe Liam didn’t know he had been either until now. “You trying to burn your throat or something?”

“Something.” Liam grumbled, and took another long swig.

“Oi,” Theo grumbled, leaning forward to snatch the flask back. “Don’t hog, I need alcoholic sustenance too.”

“Reckon we could sneak into the kitchen and get them to refill it with something?” Liam asked, curious. “You’re the prince, after all.”

“Probably.” Theo nodded slowly, thinking about it. His mum probably wouldn’t be pleased, but that didn’t bother Theo too much. He was an adult now, after all. And apparently they both needed it. Plus, Liam and him working together? Being friends or whatever? They’d eat that shit up. And in the meantime, Liam couldn’t be stealing focus from everyone else if they were both off hiding together.

“Unless you don’t want more?” Liam asked, and maybe Theo was more distant than he’d realised, because he definitely wanted more alcohol. Tonight had been long and his emotions were fried.

An hour, an empty flask and some very theatrical and obvious sneaking later, Liam and Theo were in the kitchen on the grounds, getting their flask refilled by a begrudging staff member, who seemed to be just wanting the two slightly less steady minded boys to leave him alone. Their plan had been to return to their spot overlooking the gardens, but when they left the kitchen to find the place near deserted, they both broke out into laughter, and Theo turned to Liam, almost giggling.

“How do we get home now?” He asked, eyes wide and dramatic. Liam just giggled back at him, opening his flask and taking another swig.

“Um...” Liam looked around, “I’ll ask someone to call us a car.”

“Car!” Theo repeated, more a yell than a calm comment, “I have a car. A family car. To take us home. Uh...” He patted down his suit, looking for his phone, with no idea which of the many hidden pockets in this suit it’d gone into.

“Hey, you two.” Someone called, and Theo turned to see the familiar face of their family driver, Argent. “I was called here by Lady Hayden. Are you ready to leave?”

Liam glanced at Theo, as if trying to ask whether they should trust Argent. Liam and Argent had definitely met before, but not often, since Argent generally stayed more with his mother. Still, Liam’s cheeks were flushed pink and his mouth fell slightly open, his eyes as blue as ever, and Theo wished he could just look at Liam forever.

“Ready,” Theo agreed stupidly, following Liam and Argent up the stairs towards the car. Theo stumbled halfway up the marble stairs and Liam grabbed his arm, yanking him back to his feet and holding onto him. Probably he was just trying to keep Theo from falling again. Some rational part of Theo wanted to be embarrassed, but he was too busy giggling at the situation. The more Liam laughed, the more Theo did.

Argent had to help them into the backseat and into their seatbelts, and the two did little other than giggle and drink the whole way home. Mostly, it was a blur for Theo, whose anger and frustrations had been replaced with a giddy warmth. For once, they were normal teenage boys. Drunk and reckless in the back of a car, laughing and barely thinking of the consequences.

When they arrived at the castle, Theo and Liam’s mothers were already out, standing barefoot and nightgown clad in the early morning cold. They were, almost irrationally, relieved to find that Theo and Liam were simply drunk and laughing, rather than something worse. They were unpredictable when together, and this was a big evening for them both. The two women both made way to help their sons back inside, but Theo and Liam had already booked it, laughing and yelling raucously about some bet, about who would win.

“It seems our sons live to fight another day without killing each other,” Caroline commented as she began to walk back inside her home, following after her obviously inebriated son. She had no way of knowing exactly how drunk he was, but she wasn’t the most judgemental. Theo and Liam both lived every moment of their lives with so much pressure. So much judgement. If they needed a moment, they deserved it.

“Unless they get alcohol poisoning or something,” Jenna answered tiredly, walking beside her friend. “Were we this bad at their age?”

“Worse. Definitely worse.”

Theo made it upstairs to where his room was first, but Liam was hot on his trails, only behind because he was slightly less balanced than Theo, despite Theo’s own inevitable bruises he’d have gained by morning.

Liam was sprinting up behind him, his footsteps bangs in the dark and quiet castle. He was going to run past, but without thinking, Theo grabbed his wrist, yanking him back towards Theo’s room, where they both toppled into the closed door.

“Let me go, I have to get to bed before you!” Liam argued, trying to shake free of Theo’s grip.

“You’ve already lost, Little Prince, I’m at my room.”

Liam still tried to escape, so Theo whined, pushing his bedroom door open and pulling at Liam’s wrist. “You’ve gotta stay with me. It’s tradition.” He insisted, his eyes alight with his excitement over the issue. Every year for nearly fifteen years, they had shared a bed. Now suddenly, Liam had his own room and Theo realised he didn’t like change. Maybe he wouldn’t have had the guts to admit it normally, but he wasn’t thinking clearly this time around.

Liam yawned widely and Theo seized the moment to pull him further inside. Liam went willingly, moving to strip off his suit jacket, seemingly having accepted the offer to stay in Theo’s bed for the evening.

Theo followed suit, clumsily trying to rid himself off the confines of these stupid formal clothes, but finding it hard to keep his eyes off Liam as the younger boy did the same. Liam stumbled but held himself up as he kicked his shoes off, and all but ripped his vest trying to get it off but unable to handle the buttons. Theo lay down on the bed to get his suit pants off, so he wouldn’t fall, but it was taking way too long. Why were his suits so tight again? Liam struggled clumsily with his tie, then with his shirt. But the next time Theo glanced up, Liam was stood in only his suit pants and Theo struggled not to look. They’d seen each other half naked a billion times, but this was different. Theo watched him. The sharp ‘v’ lines of his hipbones, the strong muscles of his arms. Theo wondered what it might be like to dance with Liam like this. To have Liam’s hands on him. To have his hands on Liam. He wondered what it might be like to dance Liam at any time. He had once before, but they had been children practicing the Beauty and the Beast waltz. It was far from now, where Theo just stared at Liam with absent, unbridled longing. He’d spent years avoiding that very feeling, years carefully curating his looks and word choices.

When they were both finally free of anything but underwear, they collapsed down side by side in the bed. It felt a lot smaller now than it did when they were kids, yet nobody was kicking anyone this time around. In fact, instead, they both laughed, and Theo tried not to think too much about how nice it was to be the reason that Liam was laughing.

"Did you have a fun night?" Theo asked, tipping his head to the side on the pillow to face Liam. Liam was still giggling to himself, and Theo wondered if he'd ever been this drunk before. Or drunk at all.

Liam tipped his head in thought for a minute, then shrugged, "I don't like all the moms." He managed, then glanced over, "It was better once we got outside though."

Theo felt his heart jump in his chest, and her cleared his throat. "Yes, well, you're a hot commodity around here."

"I don't like it," Liam admitted, letting out a laugh again, looking sideways at Theo. The two of them were both laying flat on their backs, heads turned to face each other, both smiling. "It makes me feel weird," He said awkwardly.

"Weird?"

"Yeah." Liam said slowly, "It makes me feel like I can't trust anyone. Because I don't know why they like me."

Theo shrugged, "Well, you know why I like you."

Liam blinked at him, confused. "You like me? Since when?"

Theo tried hard to think about a good answer for that. Something he should say, because he really hadn't meant to say anything like that at all. Hating each other was his and Liam's natural setting, and if he changed that, he might ruin everything. What could he even say? He could try to say he'd been being sarcastic. He could just say he respected Liam's ability to fight back at him. He could be honest, explain that at some point, he actually had come to enjoy spending time with Liam, whether they were arguing or laughing. Maybe that was the right thing to do. To just be honest.

"Well, I..." He glanced over at Liam, but Liam was already asleep, snoring softly like he had as a kid.

When Theo woke up in the morning, Liam was gone, and his head was pounding.

*

"Where is everybody?" Theo asked the guard as he walked, wishing he hadn't gotten up at all for the way his head pounded against the light of the open castle windows.

The guard glanced up, taking in Theo's appearance, which based on his expression, couldn't have been great. "Your mother and the other Queen are outside drinking tea." Theo desperately didn't want to go out into the sun, but he would if he had to.

"And Liam?" Theo asked curiously, almost feeling embarrassed for asking, even though it was a fairly obvious question.

"I believe the Prince went out for lunch, Your Highness." The guard said, standing a little straighter and staring straight ahead. Theo didn't know what to do with any of that, so he nodded, thanked the guard, and made his way out to his mother and Jenna. The two of them seemed to spend most of their time in the gardens. They were beautiful, so it was fair, but Theo didn't know if he could take the sunshine in his eyes with the way he was feeling.

Still, squinting, he found his way into the garden to be with the two women.

As soon as he saw his mum, a bright grin pulled across her face. "Hello, my love. How are you holding up today?" Judging by the look on her face, she already knew the answer was bad. As such, Theo just groaned in response and the two of them wound up laughing.

"Sounds like you both had a big night." Jenna answered with a laugh.

"One way to put it," Theo grumbled again, blocking his eyes from the sun as he sat with them. They were both still looking smug and amused and Theo might've been annoyed if they hadn't sort of earned the right.

"We were surprised to see Liam up and out early this morning," Caroline admitted, which was convenient, because Theo wanted to ask about that, but hadn't been willing to do so.

"Yeah, um, where did he go?"

Jenna and Caroline exchanged an amused look that Theo didn't understand, before Jenna told him, "I believe he went out for lunch with a guard."

So that meant he was out with Nolan. Okay then. That was fine. The whole thing was a little weird, and he supposed maybe it was a blessing not to have to deal with Liam's aggressive loudness and energy when he was feeling so shitty. Then again, now he was apparently having lunch with his mother and Jenna, so he wasn't sure it was a ton better. They were both having far too much fun watching him be in pain.

He stayed with Jenna and Caroline throughout the day, glad for the distraction that it provided him, considering he was mildly grumpy about just about everything this morning, almost certainly because he was still hungover.

After that, things were a little quieter. They went to multiple other events, and like the first, Liam spent the whole time being pulled off into dance after dance by everyone and their mother. Quite literally. After the first though, neither drunk too much, and neither talked too much. It was probably Theo's fault, but he found it hard to ignore his own frustrations. And he never had been good at pretending to be happy and nice when he was pissed off. Which he had been, pretty much throughout Liam's entire trip.

He knew he had no good reasons, and he certainly knew that it wasn't Liam's fault, but that didn't entirely preclude his bad mood from rubbing off on the other boy, who suddenly seemed not to have a lot of good to say about Theo, even after they'd been getting along before that.

They argued about whether to order pizza or make it. They argued about whether it would be weird if they wore the same colour suit (Liam insisted it wouldn't and Theo said it would make them look like a couple). They argued over which movies to watch and whether or not to play rummy. They argued over whether it was weird when Nolan played games with them (it was) and whether or not Theo could pull off Liam's shirt even though it was definitely too small (he couldn't). They argued over which castle was bigger (Liam's) and which of them were the most popular with tabloids.

By the day Jenna and Liam were due to leave, Theo was both annoyed and kicking himself. This might be the last time he saw Liam for a long time and all they did was argue with each other. And while he wanted to regret that, part of him was comforted by the normalcy of their arguing. Like nothing was changing.

**Josh** : So have you talked to him yet?

**Theo** : You only just got promoted back to your name in my phone, don't start with me

**Josh** : I'm just saying, you'll regret it if you don't talk. Aren't they leaving today?

**Theo** : yes. go away.

**Josh** : Theodore Albert Edmund Harold Raeken

**Theo** : i don't like him. i'm not into him, it's just a distraction. i'm just a sad gay and he's my emotional support nemesis.

**Josh** : I agree with all those things except one.

"Theo!" His mother called, and Theo looked himself over in the mirror one more time. Black suit, brown shoes, fluffy hair. He looked tired, because he was, but he jogged downstairs, knowing they had to fulfil what they had done for the last fourteen years. One more photoshoot. They'd almost certainly see each other at things again, but nowhere near as often. It could be years. Theo was trying not to think about it.

When he got downstairs, Liam, Jenna and his mum were all already waiting. Theo thought everyone sort of looked like they were going on a funeral march. He probably looked the same too.

The four made their way out into the garden out the front of the palace, where people waited to see them off, as they did every year. The last photo. The last year. Not that they knew that for certain.

They stopped, as always, and Liam and Theo both went for their ritualistic hug.

“Bye, Prince Stupid.” Liam muttered into his ear.

“Bye, Little Prince.” Theo answered as he pulled back away from Liam, both with fake camera smiled plastered on their faces. Then Liam turned, marched off, and Jenna did the same.

Usually, Theo would turn on his heel and go back to the house, not wait to watch as they actually departed. Usually, Theo would immediately go upstairs and bitch to his friends about how annoying the summer had been. Usually, Theo wouldn’t stay around to think.

But that day wasn’t usually, and Theo watched the two of them depart. Liam was annoying. He was stubborn, competitive, foolhardy, sarcastic, clumsy and couldn’t handle his alcohol. He was someone Theo had spent his entire adolescence trying to escape from. Now that he was an adult, he could still name every single thing that had pissed him off about Liam. He could still place all that frustration.

Still, despite all those things Theo hated about Liam, he felt a hollow ache in his chest at knowing this tradition was gone for good.

Theo hated Liam. He had for as long as he could remember, but watching Liam walk away, it became harder and harder to deny.

Josh was right. He was completely fucked, because he was completely in love with Liam.


	6. Age Twenty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been nearly four years since Liam last saw Theo in person, and Liam finds out more what his future is going to be like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye, we're finally into the bulk of the story age! I hope you guys are enjoying and keeping entertained and engaged with it!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave any/all feedback!

"You can tell me to leave sometimes, y'know." Liam began, his eyes locked on Corey and Mason nervously, "I don't want to always be intruding on your... you know, moments."

Corey and Mason rolled their eyes in impressive unison and both looked at him like he was stupid. He'd gotten sort of used to that look over the years.

"Liam, how many times must we tell you that we like you being around. That's what having best friends is. Wanting people to be around you."

Liam frowned, "And that's really nice, but a set of three best friends where two are a couple can be... unfortunate for you both. I don't want to be that person."

Corey and Mason glanced at each other again, "We often have Brett with us too, don't forget. And also, you predate me in this relationship." Corey told Liam, shaking his head.

"Okay, okay, fine. I just... y'know, I feel bad."

The two of them laughed and Liam pouted, “Don’t make fun of me, I’m trying to be a good friend.”

“You are a good friend.” Mason filled in easily, “Except those summers you made me come with you when your Mom dragged you over to hang out with Prince Asshole and Josh.” Mason had been calling Theo names like that since they were children, despite the fact that Mason and Theo actually got on rather well. As far as Liam knew, the two of them still texted.

Liam, on the other hand, hadn’t heard from Theo in nearly two years. He’d contacted him a few times, but after multiple unanswered text messages, he had pretty much made his peace with any relationship there being gone.

Ironically, Liam also kept in contact with Josh still. He’d always got along better with Josh though, so he supposed that wasn’t a huge surprise. When Theo had stopped answering, Liam had spent a lot of time wondering what had gone wrong. As much as they hadn’t been best friends growing up, Liam sort of thought they were... friends. Weird, volatile, mean friends, but friends nonetheless. He sort of thought they were tied together after everything else.

But instead, time passed, and Liam kept in touch with just about everyone except Theo. His mother, Nolan, Josh. Hayden, even.

He had been hurt at first, but the clock had kept turning and eventually, Liam had become too immersed in his ongoing life.

“Yes, well, I needed you. Imagine how many more bones I’d have broken if you weren’t there.” He rolled his eyes dramatically, brushing off all thoughts of Theo and his disappearing act.

“When are you going back?” Corey asked tentatively.

They’d broached the subject before. Both of them, and Brett, and his mother... and Josh. But Liam sighed, “I’m not. We’ve been doing this since I was eighteen. I’m nearly twenty-two, guys. It’s ancient history. Dead and buried. Just a weird relationship forged in fire. Like a zombie apocalypse friendship. We needed each other to survive summers, now the apocalypse is over and we have nothing in common.”

The car pulled up outside the castle and Liam smiled brightly, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck as he got out. There were people outside the gates, because there always were, and Liam gave them a friendly wave, watching as the cameras flashed in his eyes, before he, Corey and Mason all turned to walk back into the house.

Once the three were inside, they all immediately began stripping layers off. It was freezing outside, but inside, his home was warm and toasty. Never silent, there was always something going on. Liam’s little sister, Ellie, was always running amuck, and Liam knew she had all the same spirit as him, despite them only being half siblings. Aside from that, even guards and staff in their castle had always been treated like family. Everyone was always on a first name basis, and much of their staff brought their families to Christmas dinner at the palace.

A little girl came toddling into view and Liam scooped her up thoughtlessly, throwing her over his shoulder and running off down the hall with her. He could hear the other two laughing as they followed, and Liam tracked her path back to where Jenna and David sat in a drawing room, drinking tea and talking. There were blocks and cars and dolls everywhere, but neither of them seemed to mind it much.

Liam’s family never had been the serious royalty they were supposed to be. But the Dunbar family were wonderful, and Liam wouldn’t trade them for anything. He’d never really known his Dad, but he didn’t carry his Dad’s name anyway. He carried his Mom’s. Jenna was the rightful Queen, his father was her husband. He had taken her name, and so had Liam. Liam loved that he had her name, and he had always wanted to pass it down eventually. Though, really, he wasn’t sure how good of a father he’d be.

Perhaps Theo would have a child and he could force his future heir to suffer like he had. Maybe that was what Jenna had been doing all along— Liam knew she had similarly been forced to spend time with Caroline.

Then again, no way was Caroline as annoying as Theo was.

“Hey, Cheese Puff,” Jenna greeted, as if it was totally normal, and Liam sighed, listening for the predictable sounds of Corey and Mason snickering behind him.

“Hey, Mom.” He sighed the words. Of all the cute nicknames out there... No doubt Ellie would get something nice like ‘sweetheart’ or ‘sunshine’, but no. Liam got Cheese Puff.

“Come sit.” She beckoned, and there were enough weirdly ornate chairs around the room for everyone to easily join. Liam set Ellie down and she went off running again, excited.

Once they were all situated, Jenna and David exchanged a look Liam decisively hated, before Jenna cleared her throat, seemingly holding the floor, but trying to find the right words.

“I did actually need to speak to you about something.”

Liam’s brows raised, and he went to talk, but Mason got there first. “Should we go?”

“Oh, no, you’re basically a part of him at this point, you’re welcome to our family conversations.”

Liam didn’t know whether to be offended or not, but he glanced at Mason and Corey and they both looked pretty proud of themselves, so he could accept that.

“I’ve been conferring with Duchess Valerie Romero.” She started, and Liam’s brows raised. Hayden’s sister? He hadn’t even known his mother was in contact with her at all, let alone so recently. “And we’ve been discussing the... future.”

Oh. Now he understood. One of the most steadfast and unwritten rules of royalty. Nobody picked their own partners. They didn’t marry for love, they married for a match. Liam’s father was a Viscount. They had almost certainly never been in love, and while David was just a general nobleman, Jenna was older then and had already produced an heir from an honourable marriage. Liam’s future was still ahead of him to do that.

“You want me to court Hayden?” He filled in easily. He didn’t like it, he never had, but it just... was.

Again, David and Jenna exchanged a look. Mason and Corey did too, and Liam thought at least if he married Hayden, he’d have someone to look meaningfully at whenever something happened. He was being left out in the dark here and Ellie wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Yes.” Jenna finally answered, running a hand through her curly red hair.

“Okay.” Liam nodded. Jenna looked strained, and Liam wondered if maybe she’d been expecting a fight about it. “Is there a plan?”

“You’ll court for at least a year. Some of it will be there, some here. You’ll be seen together at functions, events, on nice lunchtime dates. You’ll be seen to be bonding with her family and she’ll be seen to do the same with us and after that time, if all goes well and you two are amenable, you’ll be married.”

Amenable. Just the love story every human being wanted. If they were amenable, they’d be married. Wonderful.

“Okay.” Liam nodded. He’d always known this was coming. Sure, he’d watched the princess movies and the romcoms growing up and he’d imagined a love story one day, but he’d always known he’d never actually have it. It wasn’t for him. It hurt, but it was the way things were.

“I’m sorry, darling, I know it’s not—“

“Don’t.” Liam cut her off quickly. “Don’t. It’s fine. I know what my responsibility is. I’ve always known. It’s only ever been postponing the inevitable.”

“But I know you and Hayden are friends. And this way, you’ll still see Theo—“

Jenna went on speaking, but Liam was too distracted by the mention of Theo to hear the rest of it. His stomach flopped uncomfortably at the thought of him, and he tried to shut it down. It’d been nearly four years. Liam had neither the time nor the energy to obsess over Theo and why Theo abandoned him.

“Am I going there or is she coming here?” Liam spoke, not intending to cut his mother off, but unwilling to hear about Theo.

“You’re going there. There’s a big ball coming up, the two of you will both be in attendance and you’ll stay for a while after, then she’ll come here.”

Liam nodded, “Can I bring my friends? Mason, Corey, Brett? If I have to stay for extended periods, surely I should at least not be alone.”

“You’re an adult, Liam. You can take whoever you want.” Jenna told him, half smiling.

“Using my age as a reason I can do what I want is a weird take when you’re telling me about my arranged marriage, but alright, Mom.”

*

Liam was spread out on the floor like a starfish, arms and legs stretched out at his sides. Mason and Corey sat on his bed, and Brett was meant to come over any minute as well. They’d all agreed to come with him (though he supposed they’d be mad not to take a free overseas trip complete with luxurious and inordinately fancy balls and galas), and Liam was now just wrapping his own head around it.

“You okay, man?” Brett’s voice broke their silence as he entered the room. Liam glanced up at him from his spot on the floor, tired from the core of his being, and nodded.

“Fine. This was always the plan.” He answered, like a rehearsed answer. Maybe because it was. He’d already repeated it multiple times to both Mason and Corey, he had been ready to do it with Brett too.

Brett didn’t seem convinced, and the taller boy lay down beside him, starfishing out as well. Liam was glad for his big room at that point. “You know you can tell us, right? Us of all people, who’ve known you basically forever?”

Liam glanced over at Brett, whose brows were pinched with concern. Liam remembered vividly when he thought Brett hated him. How time had changed them. “Yeah, I mean...” He shrugged slowly, “It sucks. No denying that. But I’ve known all my life it was coming. And Hayden’s cool. It could be way worse.” He shrugged again, and he was beginning to wonder if his shrugging was a tell.

“And Prince Theo?” Brett asked.

Liam’s brows furrowed, and he glanced around at his three best friends. “What about him?”

They exchanged looks amongst themselves (Liam hated being left out) and then Brett sighed and spoke again. “Fine. If nobody else will say it, I will. I thought you and he were always... something.” He admitted.

Liam blinked, glancing around. “Did you two think that?” He asked, eyeing Mason and Corey, neither of whom was meeting his eye.

“I didn’t... not think that.” Corey admitted. Mason giggled, and that was enough of an answer from him too.

“That’s... insane.” Liam told them, shaking his head. “Absolutely not. We did nothing but try to tear each other apart for fourteen years straight. How could any of you think that? Seriously?”

There was a moment of silence, before Mason seemed to garner enough confidence to mumble, “Foreplay.”

Liam turned to stare at his best friend, eyes wide with shock and slight embarrassment. “Mason! I expected this from these two, but not you too! Where is the loyalty?”

Mason shrugged, a hint of a smirk on his face, “I’m the one you dragged to all of you stupid events, man. If anyone has a right to comment, it’s me.”

“Fine, but you’re wrong. The lot of you. This isn’t some rom-com in the making. We were just forced together growing up. And Theo never answers me, so... there’s that too.”

The room went quiet, and Liam was struck with the irritating feeling that everyone knew, or at least thought they knew, something that Liam didn’t.

“Well, you’re going to see him again soon.” Brett said with a shrug. “I mean, you’ll have all of us and Hayden as a buffer, but... he’s going to be at these functions, obviously. it’s his job to be.”

Liam truly hadn’t considered that until now. It would be awkward. And annoying. Theo would almost certainly pull Liam apart and mock him like he always had. Especially now that Liam was set to marry his cousin or whatever. Not that there was a damn thing romantic about it anyway— it was a business partnership more than anything else. Still... a part of him was excited to see Theo. A just under the skin, unnameable feeling. Maybe he’d finally find out why Theo just stopped answering. Or maybe the answer was simple. Theo’s bullying hadn’t been childhood pettiness that he’d grown out of but... actual hatred.

“Sure.” He said with a nod. “We’re not kids or friends anymore. It’s been years. I’m sure we’ll just say hello politely and walk on by.”

Corey’s eyes narrowed. “Except we’re all friends with Josh. And Theo still talks to Mason. And...” He trailed off, but his point was made. Liam collapsed back into his starfish and closed his eyes.

“It’s fine, guys. Really. This is totally fine.”

*

“Hey!” Liam turned as Mason called out to him, leaning on the wall of the corridor while he waited for Mason to catch up.

“What’s up, man?”

“I’m sorry.” Mason said quickly.

Liam's brows raised, confused about the apology. "Um... what for?" He asked, "If this is another talk about how much the whole thing sucks, I get it, you guys are worried and I appreciate that. But it's not your fault or your problem..."

Mason shook his head, “No, not that.” He paused, “The uh, the jokes I made about you and Theo before. I know the whole thing was hard on you and I know... it was complicated and I shouldn’t have gone there. It wasn’t fair.”

“Oh.” Liam’s expression shifted.

This was why Mason was his best friend. He was sensitive, more so than Liam himself, and usually worked hard to be a good person. He recognised that Liam was lucky, but also recognised the ways in which he was not. He never made Liam feel guilty or ungrateful, and that meant a lot to him. He was, in short, Liam’s best friend for a very particular reason.

“I just... I was being honest.” He said slowly, “Part of me did always think that you and he...” He trailed off, shaking his head. “But I had no right. Definitely not in front of them. Definitely not when you’re...”

“Being marched down the aisle like a bad cliche?”

“Yeah. That.”

Liam shrugged. He couldn’t. He couldn’t tell everyone how much it hurt because then he couldn’t pretend to himself anymore. He’d been telling himself since he was five years old that it was fine. That he could be fine with it. That love was not a given and that he was so lucky because he traded away that privilege. Maybe some childlike part of him always imagined he’d find love though. That he’d get a dramatic run down the aisle to stop a wedding from taking place and tell someone that he loved them more than anything and they should be with him. Maybe he’d imagined being in love with the person he was deigned to marry. But he’d known Hayden and for years, and like her though he did, there wasn’t any spark there. There was friendship. Good friendship. And maybe that companionship would be enough. But maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe that longing and heartbreak would always be there, and maybe Liam would never get to fall in love at all. Still, if he said any of that out loud, he wasn’t sure he’d ever regain his careful composure. His calm about it all.

“There was nothing between him and I.” Liam finally said slowly. “There was a second where...” He trailed off, “Any time he showed any part of who he actually was to me, he was just more of a dick the next day. Even if we weren’t both going to be walked down an aisle for political gain, I don’t think he’d ever let me in enough for it to be anything.”

Mason eyed him, “None of what you just said sounds like you don’t like him.” Of course Mason would pick up on that. Because Mason was too smart for his own good and because Mason knew Liam better than Liam knew himself.

Liam rolled his eyes, “My point is that I... never really considered whether i liked him or not. It was never really an option on the table. He’s not interested, why would I waste my time even considering whether I am?”

“So then...” Mason began, “If he was—“

Liam sighed deeply, starting to actually get annoyed. “Mason, please. I haven’t seen the man in nearly four years, I haven’t heard from him in two. I’m a prince, and I will be getting married to a suitable, appropriate and most importantly, not-at-all-my-choice noble.” He paused, “I know you’re just trying to help, but this isn’t a fairytale. And even if it was, Theo’s no Prince Charming. You, yourself call him Prince Asshole regularly. He’ll be in the same boat as I am right now. And very likely had the same thoughts growing up. Not to bother expecting differently.”

“Charming and asshole are not mutually exclusive concepts.” Mason said slowly, but then nodded. “But I take your point. Doesn’t matter if your friends have been trying to set you up for years, not gonna happen.”

“Wait— I’m sorry, my friends have been fucking what now?”

*

“If you tell me you’ve been trying to set me up too, I will actually denounce my title, change my name, dye my hair and move as far away as I possibly can.”

Jenna laughed softly, “No, love, we just wanted the two of you to have a friend and an ally who might understand you. Nothing untoward.”

Liam was sure his mother wouldn’t give a shit who he wound up with if he wasn’t the crown prince of a major nation. But he was, and there was no undoing that fact. It was nice to know his Mom cared so much, but it didn’t exactly help him.

“So why’d you corner me then?” Liam glanced around the plane. It was huge for a private jet, and even with Jenna, David, Ellie, Mason, Corey, Brett and Liam, it was still bigger than what was needed. Liam never felt right about it all. When he was King, the funding would be changing significantly, but that was no great surprise. Liam had been planning how to redistribute everything to help people since he was around fourteen. He’d learned how little some people made, and had immediately been motivated to fix it. He couldn’t yet, but one day he would, and that was one of the main reasons he never complained much about having to marry a certain way and act a certain way and dress a certain way.

“I wanted to talk to you alone. But I haven’t really gotten the chance.”

“Okay.” Liam nodded, waiting for the oncoming interrogation.

“I’m really proud of you.” Liam’s eyes shot up from where they had been focused on a bit of loose carpet on the floor. “I know all of this is... a lot. You don’t get to be like other kids. You’ve been the man of the house, of the kingdom, for so damn long already. I know how it’s been for you. How hard it’s been to make real friends, how little privacy you’ve had, how people have hyper-fixated on and judged every moment of your life. But Liam, my little man, I am so proud. You are... smart and well informed and selfless and mature and I am just... so proud.” Liam wasn’t sure too many people would consider him smart, but he’d take the compliment regardless. As it was, his blue eyes had gotten glassy and his throat had gotten choked up. “I remember doing this when I was your age.” She went on. “I remember it feeling like a death march.” She rested a hand in his cheek. “But now I’ve got you. And I would trade away anything for you.”

Liam was full out crying and Jenna pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, I just... I know exactly how you must feel. And I empathise. But you will be a great King one day.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Cheese Puff.”

“I can do this, y’know?” Liam said softly. “I’ve been mentally preparing for it all my life.”

She nodded slowly, “I know. It’s one of the worst parts of being who we are. I’m proud though, of how graciously you’re handling it.”

“So!" David called, effectively beckoning the two of them back to the group, each seated around and talking. "We've got a hotel floor booked for the lot of us to stay, and we'll have a security detail the whole time just in case." He told them all.

Liam glanced up, and he was fairly certain he could feel at least three people watching him. "A hotel? We're not staying with the Raekens?"

Jenna shook her head, "We can't ask them to house all of us. Four young men, two adults and a toddler. It would be impolite. Easier for us to just stay in a hotel. We'll surely see them at functions anyway."

Liam just nodded, hating the uncomfortable silence that surely meant there was some reaction or another that was expected of him. It was weird, he would admit, but everything about this felt weird and unprecedented. And while Liam fully understood why he had to do what he did, while he fully understood that it was the sacrifice he made for the position he was in, for his luck and privilege, a part of him still felt like he had to mourn it. Like he was mourning the life that he wanted to have. The life that he would've liked to have, were he not a crown prince. In that life, he imagined he would fall in love. Real, actual love where he would be with someone because he wanted to. Because they made him feel happy and complete. He was mourning the chance of all that fire and passion, because, in truth, he just didn't see himself ever having that with Hayden. And that could be fine, he thought, but there would always be that thing he didn't have.

That thing he'd never had.

He spent the rest of the plane right sitting and thinking. He thought about how, some nights, he could convince himself that that love from movies and books didn't really exist anyway, so he wasn't missing out. But those same nights, he would find himself going through all those thoughts. He would think of his mother and David. Of Corey and Mason. He would consider the happy couples he'd known throughout his life, and then he would know, sure as anything, that love did exist. Because he'd seen it. He'd seen it grow and form and become something wonderful, and he knew how fulfilling people could find it. How happy it could make them.

But maybe Liam would be happy without that. Maybe he would find the same kind of happiness with Corey, Mason and Brett. Maybe he could find happiness in being a good leader, and in a friendship with Hayden, and in children and a bunch of things that he wouldn't find in any soppy romance novel.

And maybe that part of his life would always be missing, but maybe that could be okay.

At some point, they landed, got in a car, got to a hotel, got set up, but all the while, all Liam could think about was all of this. All the sacrifices that came with his decisions and his titles, and how he would learn to be okay with those. His mother used to say he either overthought or underthought everything with no in between. That was almost certainly true, but he hoped if he could overthink it enough, maybe he could rationalise it into not bothering him anymore.

He was left with only the knowledge that there would be a gala the following evening, and that he would obviously be in attendance. He was told he would be given styling the following day, for good measure, and that he would meet Hayden there, that he was to be seen dancing with her for at least a few dances. All of that was fine, though it kind of reminded him of when he was eighteen and getting Theo of all people to help him with his stupid suits and hair.

That was the other thing Liam overthought. Seeing Theo again. After nearly two years of nothing, would Theo act like nothing had happened? Would he even answer him at all, or would that just be it?

He thought so much he ended up with a tight, winding pit in his stomach. It took him too long to fall asleep, but when he finally managed to begin to drift, he was almost completely certain he would be having nightmares that evening.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo finds out Liam's in town again. He has to come to terms with more upsetting news and what it means for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooft, there was a little bit of a longer wait on this one, but I got a bit of insecurity/writer's block happening! Thankfully, cracked it enough to get this out! Hopefully you guys enjoy and I'll have more soon!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave any/all comments or feedback!

**Theo** : can’t you just come over?

**Joshy** : No.

**Joshy** : God you’re clingy, bud. go to bed or something.

**Theo** : it’s fucking 11am??? you’re coming tonight anyway, aren’t you? bc i feel like that was our agreement, no?

**Joshy** : Yes, I am coming. Small clingy asshole.

**Theo** : you signed up to be my best friend, that’s not my fault!

**Joshy** : I’ll be over at around 2, okay? So we can get ready together. Tracy?

**Theo** : coming too.

Did Theo particularly want to go to this event or any other? Absolutely not. Was he well and truly over this prescriptive Prince bullshit? Yes. Was Hayden getting to him? Also yes.

But that was the fun part about his life now. His friends had finally convinced him to hate his post and all that was left was to wait until he inevitably snapped and dismantled the monarchy. Not that he could, he’d be overthrown by another in line if he tried. Regardless, it all annoyed him more and more as the years went on.

Once he’d figured out he was gay, everything had sort of spiralled from that point. It’d be totally fine if he was Josh or Mason or someone. Because while it was important for them to have biological children, it didn’t carry the same weight of tradition or whatever as it would for people like him and Liam. But then that unfairness had seeped into his bones like ice and never left again. He should be allowed any right to be happy anyone else had. There was always surrogacy, but the truth Theo had been avoiding forever was still there. He didn’t just want ‘a guy’. He wanted Liam. And the two of them had individual kingdoms to run and individual royal lines to continue. But that was something below the surface. A thought Theo pretended not to have, even though it never went away.

Anyway, it was all only theory. The actual answer was simple. He’d been pretending to be with Tracy for a while. Eventually, he supposed they’d probably fake tie the knot. They liked each other, they were good friends, and she had no more interest in him than he had in her. That was his future, written out. At the very least, he would get to pick. It’d never be what he wanted, but he would have a good friend forever. Someone to drink wine with and bitch about the unfairness of it all.

Still, Theo had less and less interest in the social element as the years went on. He was bored of it all. He was bored of being chased by people who wanted his title. He was bored of late nights of drinking and pretending to forget it all. He was bored of going home alone and staring at his phone, considering making what would undoubtedly be the stupidest call of his life.

His mother was still herself. She loved the flowing gowns and the big entrances, and she loved people loving her, but Theo thought she was secretly as disinterested as he was. The two of them had more fun dancing in their living room and drinking together than they did at those functions, which was why they nearly never stayed long.

The two had a reputation now. They walked in, crowns, chins raised high, suits and fancy clacky high heels. His mother would hold onto his arm. They would make small talk, and Theo would dance with a few people to get them off his case, then the two would leave, and by the time they got home, they’d be racing back inside with their shoes in their hands.

He was lucky, in that capacity, that he was close to his mother. It was only them left. No Jonathan. No other siblings. Just them. Theo was sure Caroline knew, but she never brought it up with him. Maybe she wasn’t sure how.

She was going that evening as well, and Theo was glad. He’d have to stay longer, since he’d pulled Josh and Tracy into it as well, but Caroline got on with them too, almost as if she was more friend than mother. Sometimes she was.

She hadn’t always been the most responsible parent. His father was tucked away in the library pretending the world didn’t exist, Theo was struggling to manage his feelings about everything as a child and Caroline... Caroline was free. She wouldn’t seem it, not if you saw her as a Queen. But as a mother? She didn’t know how to discipline, and truthfully wasn’t much for comfort. Which was part of the reason Theo was the way he was growing up. He never really understood what was happening with his Dad, and he had to try to make sense of it all totally alone.

Regardless, as an adult, it was easy for Theo to now see her as more of a friend than parent. He still loved her dearly, but he wasn’t blind to how it’d all affected him.

To how he’d acted out.

“Mum?” He asked, the two of them lounging on opposite ends of the same room, keeping company, but not talking.

“Mm? What’s up, love?” She asked, not looking up from her phone.

“Did you ever love Dad?”

He watched her expression visibly change, watched her switch her phone off and carefully move into a sitting position. He had opened something. If he’d had more forethought around the question, if he’d planned it out, he’d likely have realised it would be touchy. If the answer was no, Caroline would almost surely not want to say it out of guilt, considering Theo was his son and he had passed away.

“Depends what you mean by love.” She finally said.

Theo nodded, waiting for her to continue. To elaborate.

“We were never... trashy airport romance novel love. We were never period drama love either. We were more like... very best friends. I would’ve done absolutely anything for that man. He was smart and kind and he loved you a lot. It’s not the life I would have had if I had chosen myself, but it wasn’t a bad life. He was a good man. A really good man. Not all love is... y’know, Fifty Shades of Grey.”

“Mum, ew. You were doing so well. And then you went and said that. Like you wanted me to suffer.” Theo groaned out.

“I’m just trying to be honest.” She scoffed, defensively.

“I was looking more for emotional honesty, not references to sex life honestly.”

“That’s all love really is. Best friendship with the added desire to Fifty Shades of Grey with them.”

“Ew.” He repeated, “And I don’t think that’s true. Or I think it’s incredibly oversimplified. And relationships are more complicated than that. And not everyone is into that—“

“I get it.” She cut him off, “It was just a joke. I just meant being good friends is a valuable part of the whole journey.”

“But... if you could’ve had the passionate romantic love thing... would you have?”

She shook her head. “No. Being with Jonathan gave me you.”

“But if not for me...” Theo began.

“There is no ‘if not for you’. You are you. You exist. I can’t take you out of the question. I like my life... If there are things I missed out on, then that’s okay. I’m happy.”

“Is this something you’re just saying to me because you know I’m going to have to make the same choices?” Theo asked, brows raised slightly at his mother.

"No." She said slowly, "But it is relevant because of the choices you're choosing to make. There will be things... good about it." She promised. "Maybe you'll even be lucky enough to actually fall in love with whomever it is."

Theo scoffed, "Unlikely."

She eyed him, and Theo got the feeling she was avoiding saying what she wanted to say. Maybe avoiding addressing the implications of what Theo was saying. Instead, she just smiled. “I’m sure you’ll find happiness one way or another.” She paused, “There are always consorts.”

Theo’s eyes widened in shock. “Mum!”

“I know, I know. You don’t want to hear it. Just something to keep in mind.”

"Mum, you are so weird. Why would you..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Let's forget I asked this question. It's pointless anyway, I already knew the answer."

She half smiled, "Yet you asked. Because you're worried. And that's okay. But I promise you it won't be as bad as you think. We would never expect you to spend your life with someone you hated."

No, Theo thought, he knew that was true. But not making him spend his life with someone he hated wasn't the same as Theo being allowed to spend his life with someone he loved. He got it, he really did, were he anyone else in their world, it would be fine. But he wasn't. He was a royal. A complete line of noble blood. He was generations in the making. And all it amounted to was a sad twenty-two year old who was trying really hard to learn to knit and yet somehow constantly leaving giant holes in his scarves.

"So what are you going to wear tonight?"Caroline asked, looking back at her phone as she spoke. Theo did the same, returned to scrolling through his phone. He felt like he had been looking at something interesting before, but suddenly he had no idea what it was or where it was, his mind elsewhere entirely.

"Not sure." He admitted, "Josh'll help me pick it. He has a way of both boosting my confidence and knocking me down a peg at the same time. My duel expertise in both hating myself and thinking I'm superior to everybody else needs that."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're just like, two hundreds pounds of sarcasm?"

Theo's brows raised. "You don't understand how pounds work do you?"

"Not one bit, son, no." She answered, and he couldn't help but laugh in response.

It was a few more hours before Josh did turn up, and by then, Theo was more than ready to have his best friend around. These things made his skin itch, and the older he got, the less inclined he ever was to do them on his own. But Josh was clever and witty and Theo was never quite as miserable with him there. Besides him, Tracy had been one of his best friends since childhood, and the two of them, absolutely platonic as they were, were easy to pass off as a couple when they liked each other so much generally.

The trio worked well partly because none of them were stupid. None of them were pretending anything was any different to what it was. Three particularly witty and sarcastic young adults of noble blood, with a constant and absolute distaste for nobility of any kind.

As a younger man, Theo had actually liked the idea of being noble. He had competed with Liam about it, because he had felt he was the better, the more impressive, prince. He had wanted to be a perfect ruler. He had wanted all the attention and affection and prestige and luxury that came with that. He had wanted to be everything. But now, looking back on it, Theo saw it slightly more clearly. He hadn't wanted everything, not really. He had wanted his Dad. He had wanted his Dad's attention. Liam stood in the way of that, in Theo's mind, and so Theo resented him. At least for a while. And then Theo's anger towards Liam came from wanting him. From wanting him and knowing he couldn't have him and from knowing Liam didn't want him back and from any number of equally sappy and unrespectable feelings that Theo resented.

That was, without a shadow of a doubt, how Theo had come to be where he was now. A slightly more bitter, slightly less idealistic version of who he always was.

"What are you going for tonight anyway?" Josh asked casually. "Are we looking at bored? Better than you? Should've been a GQ model? I need to know in advance of picking out the suit for you."

Once upon a time, Theo would've picked out his own outfit. He'd always been good at it. But he appreciated the company with Josh and he appreciated that his friend was constantly putting him in his place. He was pretty sure he needed that, otherwise his ego might run away with himself. He wasn't sure if it would go somewhere good or bad, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know either.

“I’m going for... I got very little sleep last night and I desperately don’t want to be here, but my mother tells me tonight is important so I’m here and I will be stealing absolutely every hors d’oeuvre that is made for the evening.”

“A classic,” Josh nodded, “We can definitely do that.”

So Theo sat, legs folded, eyes closed, while Josh basically took on the role of stylist.

In only a few minutes of Josh making fun of Theo quietly to himself as he went through his wardrobe, a full three-piece suit was being thrown at him.

Theo opened one eye to see what had been thrown. "Blue?" He asked.

"Blue. This blue specifically." Josh informed him, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You've been wearing far too much grey lately."

"Grey always seems appropriately disinterested." Theo tipped his head towards Josh from where he was laying with an amused smirk on his face.

He rolled his eyes, "Didn't you mother say this one was important or something?" Josh always looked like he was about ten seconds from kicking Theo, literally, but Theo kinda liked that about him. He had been a bit out of control as a kid, and Josh had a way of reigning him in that he appreciated.

"Yes."

"So then it's probably good to not where the same colour you wear to every other event." He paused, "Why is it important?"

"Don't know." He said casually, shrugging his shoulders. He'd thought about it a fair bit already, but he really had no idea. Best he could guess was someone his mother was trying to impress and she was hoping Theo would be charming -- or at least less annoying than he usually was -- so she was prepping him early for the fact that he had to be on his best behaviour. He really couldn't think what else it might be. He thought maybe a set up, but his mother knew he was supposed to be 'with' Tracy. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, I'm sticking with my pick." He said, nudging Theo in the side. Theo yelped. Josh knew how much he hated that, how ticklish he was there particularly. "Go get dressed. Now."

Theo grumbled, but rolled sideways off the bed and went to get ready for this stupid function he didn't even want to go to.

He went to the bathroom to put on the suit chosen by his best friend, and thought about how quickly he'd burned out on all this royalty stuff. When he was a child, it had seemed so exciting, so rewarding. He had wanted all of it, but the older he got, the more it felt like a burden he didn't want. He wasn't sure he could be a good leader either way. Wasn't sure he would ever be the leader that his father was, or his mother. He could try, and while he had ideas of what he would do and change, the truth was just that it wasn't... what he would've chosen for himself. He thought routinely about what he might have done if he wasn't stuck in this life.

Sometimes he thought maybe he'd be a lawyer. Maybe he'd get up and argue and be good at that. Prove something, do something useful to the average person. Sometimes he thought maybe he'd do something totally out of left field, like open a flower shop. Live a simple life, without the pressure of politics breathing down his neck.

But ultimately, it always came back to the same thing. This was Theo's life. Right or wrong, for everything else that might change. Theo was a prince, and he had been trained for it, and he knew that that was his responsibility. That was who he was supposed to be.

He put on the suit and stared at himself in the expansive and honestly rather ridiculous mirror of the large bathroom. He looked how he always did. Exactly as he was supposed to. Respectable hair. Clean shaven. Clean cut. He was good now with keeping his expression neutral and his posture good. He looked good, and Josh was right about the suit, but even the fact that he had so many suits to choose from at any given time sort of irritated him.

When he walked back out, Josh clapped him on the shoulder happily, and Theo, not for the first time that day, stopped to think about how absolutely and completely lucky he was to have people like Josh around him. People who knew him as a person and liked him anyway. Who really couldn't have given a shit about title or wealth, but actually liked him. And, more than that, called him on his bullshit. Very few people did that in his life. Josh, Tracy, his cousin Hayden... Liam.

He shook the thought of, he barely thought about Liam anymore. He didn't care. Time had passed, it'd been years. He was just some guy. Just some guy Theo had known growing up. It wasn't anything, not anymore. There'd be people like him around every corner, he told himself. Or lied to himself might be more accurate.

He let himself get pushed around basically for the rest of the afternoon. To pick up Tracy, to wait out the front of the venue until his mother was satisfied that it was a good time for them to go. He let his mother tell him exactly how his hair should sit and exactly how his scarf should go. Theo used to be so much more independent, but defiance was tiring, and resistance was futile with his family and friends. Till he was King, at least. Then it would be a different story.

For starters, he wouldn't go to even half as many of these.

Finally, when his mother told them all it was time to go in, Theo took his mother's arm, walking with her into the big, tediously fancy ballroom, Tracy and Josh following suit behind them. After all, they were the crown Prince and Queen. For all rights and purposes, they were always the guests of honour.

Once he was down the stairs, barely looking at anything on his way down, fixed on some absolutely arbitrary point in front of him, his mother gave him a warm, almost excited smile. Josh and Tracy were exchanging whispers, smiling, and everything about this felt weird. Like everyone knew something that he didn't, and Theo had no idea what it was.

"So... there's a surprise." His mother began.

Oh god. "A surprise?" Theo asked, brows raising, cynical to a fault. "Why do I feel like this isn't a surprise I'm going to be happy about?"

Josh stood behind his mother, giving Theo a pinched, furrowed expression, as if to say 'be nice to your mother'. That only made him more nervous, because why the fuck did Josh know and not him? Surely if it was something for him, he was supposed to know first? And his birthday wasn't for months, so he knew it wasn't going to be anything that was actually good for him.

Caroline nodded across the room, and Theo turned on his heel, his expression suspicious and guarded.

Until he saw him.

Even from the side, even from across the distance, Theo instantly recognised who he was looking at. He instantly recognised the slightly messy, fluffy dark hair. He instantly recognised his stance and posture, instantly recognised the shape of his jaw and the polite, but not overly genuine smile etched into his face.

How the fuck was this a surprise for him?

Granted, his mother didn't know why Theo had stopped talking to Liam, but she definitely knew that they weren't friends anymore. Was he supposed to be excited about this? Thrilled to see the boy he was never really friends with, but whom he'd been obsessed with in his youth? Theo told himself he was over it. He was over Liam, of course he was. He was a grown man, with a life and other plans. Liam wasn't special, he was just a boy. Just the first boy Theo had ever really had a crush on. But he knew, now that he was old enough to get off his high horse, that he always had. Even when Liam had been little and irritatingly loud and prone to breaking Theo's shit, Theo had always been a little drawn to him. And now that he was finally over it, seeing Liam was the last thing he wanted.

He was pretty sure Josh knew that. Probably Tracy too. Maybe his mother even suspected. He could only assume that was why it was a 'surprise'. Because they had known that Theo wouldn't actually want to see Liam again. So their options were basically to let Theo refuse to go, or lie to him about it.

When he glanced back at Josh, he must've looked angrier than Josh was expecting, because his much taller friend grabbed him by the upper arm, pulling him aside to talk to him one on one. Which was probably smart, since Theo didn't particularly want to talk about all of this in front of his mother anymore than Josh evidently wanted him to.

"You knew?" Theo asked, sounding more tired than angry, which was sort of irritating, since he was definitely going for angry.

Josh nodded slowly, "Yeah, but not for long. She told me today. Your mum was super excited about it and I didn't have the heart to ruin it for her."

Theo's eyes narrowed slightly, and he found himself wondering where he could stash Josh's body if he murdered him here and now. He could probably just pardon himself. "You could've warned me though."

"You would've bailed." Josh frowned. "Besides..."

"If you say what I think you're about to say, so help me god, I will--"

"I'm still hoping you're going to get together at some point."

"I am going to murder you. Actually murder you. Publicly. I'll say it was treason."

Josh cracked a tiny smile, and Theo only got more annoyed. "Can you really blame me? I mean, come on, it's like a walking fairytale, the two of you. And for what it's worth, I still think he was into you as well. I don't know why you didn't try something when you were teenagers. You know, once you pulled your finger out and realised you had a thing for him."

Theo's eyes widened, and he was seriously considering running up to the balcony and throwing himself over into the bushes. Maybe if he thought hard enough, he could just become a wood nymph and never return to the palace. Or something to that effect. Anything to get him out of here. He could also just generally run, but his thoughts always went in the most dramatic possible direction. "Keep your fucking voice down, dude." He snapped.

Josh rolled his eyes. "I bet he still does have a thing for you."

"Why don't you take my murder threats seriously anymore? You used to be scared."

"Yeah, well, you never followed through." Josh said casually. "Besides, if I don't talk to you for two days, you start texting me seventeen times per minute, so I'm pretty sure you need me. Even if I drive you nuts."

Theo rolled his eyes right back at him, "Well, you're like, five years too late. I'm totally over it."

Josh let out an actual, sarcastic, audible laugh. "Yeah, okay, man. Go say hi then." He said, giving Theo a little shove.

"Hey!" Theo pointed at Josh again, trying his best to pull a serious face. "Treason."

They stared at each other for a minute, but then Josh started to smile, and Theo had a horrible feeling he knew why.

He took a deep breath and turned just in time to see Liam reach out, like he was going to tap Theo on the shoulder, but stop short when Theo turned.

For a moment, Theo just stared at him, surprised. It was weird, for it to be so surreal that Liam was so close to him. They'd spent six hellish weeks together ever year of their lives up until four years ago. He was familiar with Liam, from the way he snored to the way his voice sounded first thing in the morning, but it had been so long that Liam had almost felt like some dream in his mind. Something that wasn't real to him. Like maybe he had invented him. But no, there Liam was. Slightly shorter than him, nearly as muscular, sharp jawline and eyes so bright Theo found it hard to look at them sometimes.

"Hey," Liam said it casually, and he had that same sort of awkward smile on his face, and Theo wondered if it was bad that he still remembered the exact differences between the different kinds of smiles Liam gave people. He wasn't used to being on the receiving end of one of the fake ones though. They were usually either smiling genuinely or glaring, so there wasn't much room for the fake, unless it was in public.

He didn't like it, he decided. Being on the receiving end of Liam's polite, but fake smiles.

"Hi." He nodded, and he was sure he had the same look on his own face. Had it really been four years since they last saw each other? Had it really been two since they last spoke? It felt like yesterday that they had sat out on the stone bannisters and gotten drunk together. Like yesterday, but also like a lifetime ago. If Theo had somehow convinced himself that Liam wasn't really like he was in Theo's head, he had been wrong. Because he was just the same. Just as awkward and earnest and beautiful, and god, Theo wished he could've remembered wrong.

But then Jenna pushed past Liam and threw her arms around Theo like they were old friends, and he let out a far more genuine laugh. For all the awkwardness, he loved Jenna, he really did. She'd become like family too, he'd known her so much growing up. He could recall one summer, he must've been seventeen, after his Dad died. He hadn't been able to sleep. He had been particularly grouchy, and he had been starting to fully come to terms with how different his life would be because of the way he felt. He had spent many nights sitting up alone in his fathers' library. The place still scared him, even then, but for different reasons. It reminded him of loss and emptiness and time he would never get back. It reminded him of the crushing feeling of growing up knowing the end was coming, but never knowing exactly when. He also remembered how Jenna had gotten up in the middle of the night several times, perhaps hearing him walking there in the dead of night, and brought him a hot chocolate she'd made. She'd talked to him, or sat with him in silence if he'd preferred that. He never told anyone, and certainly not Liam, but it was nice. His mother was great, but she wasn't always emotionally supportive. Liam was lucky to have that.

"Hi, Jenna," He said, his eyes closing for a moment. He actually had missed her, and it actually was a nice surprise to see her again. He caught sight of Mason and Corey over Jenna's shoulder. He'd never met Corey, but Liam and Mason both talked about him a lot, and he'd seen photos through Mason. He gave them both a wave.

When they pulled back, Jenna grinned brightly, "Oh, you look so handsome." She rested a hand on his face for a moment, "And so much older. I think it's that I can tell you shave now." She joked.

"Thank you," He laughed, but was momentarily distracted by seeing Liam hugging Caroline over his shoulder. They were having a similarly warm reunion, and Theo thought how weird it was that the two couldn't speak to each other with the same familiarity, but treated each others' mothers as if they were their own.

When all the sweet and admittedly strange hellos were given out amongst the four of them, Liam set about introducing Corey and Brett, who Theo didn't actually know, around to the group. Theo did the same, introducing Josh and Tracy around. The whole thing was sort of weird, even with as many buffers as they had in the small group. Corey, Mason and Brett immediately began chatting to Josh and Tracy, and the group seemed to instantly click, which was only more unsettling, considering how awkward he and Liam were with each other.

The chatting broke out amongst them all, and, weirdly (and almost definitely purposefully) Liam and Theo were sort of left alone in the middle of it all.

"How've you been?" The way Liam asked it sounded awkward, and Theo had really no idea it was going to be this bad. He knew that he was awkward, but he wasn't expecting it from Liam. Except, he supposed, it was him who had cut Liam off. It was him who had stopped answering, and him who had stopped inviting. He had done all the cutting here, and Liam was probably plainly aware of that.

Only, knowing Liam, there was a good chance he had absolutely no clue why Theo had done it. Though, to be fair, Theo had never been good at handling emotions. He knew he was the kid who was meaner to people he liked, and he knew it was wrong (he'd even gone to therapy for it, in more recent years) but knowing something didn't mean being immune to it. And, really, he'd sort of thought it would've been obviously to Liam, who seemed to always see right through him.

"Good." He said with a slight shrug. "I've been busy. You know, Prince bullshit."

It was weak. God, it was so weak. Was Theo really so hopeless in his old age that he actually couldn't form coherent thoughts around Liam? Because that was a sad cliche that he refused to become. Being a sarcastic piece of shit was his main appeal, if he couldn't do that, what did he have? Besides his money, title and good looks, that was?

And anyway, was he trying to signal he had stopped responding to Liam for two years because he was busy? With his title, no less? The title Liam also bore? He realised how stupid it sounded, but it was too late to take it back now, so he tried to just stand confidently, realising it would probably end up coming off more rude than anything else, given the way he spoke.

This was how he did it. This was how he accidentally convinced Liam he hated him for a decade. Although, in fairness, he also thought he hated Liam for nearly a decade. So maybe that was mostly his fault.

"Yeah." Liam nodded, "I'm familiar with the... princely bullshit." He pursed his lips awkwardly, and the two of them just sort of stared at each other. The eye contact felt weirdly charged, and Theo wondered if Liam was waiting for an explanation. For Theo to acknowledge that he had cut him off. Or that he hadn't cut Mason off, which to be fair, he knew would be conspicuous. Maybe he'd wanted it to be conspicuous. Maybe he'd thought he was safer from the magnetic pull he felt to Liam if Liam thought he hated him.

Uncomfortably, Jenna and Caroline had departed them at some point, going to talk to some undoubtedly important people. Brett, Corey, Mason, Tracy and Josh had gone off into their own huddle looking for drinks and the two of them were alone. He was drowning in the awkwardness of it all.

"So, how--"

"About what--"

They both cut off, looking at each other again awkwardly. Of course when they both thought of shit to say, that would be when they said it at the same time.

They both laughed a little, then Liam took over, and Theo went silent to let him. "You know what I found the other day?" He asked, evidently using their shared history as a way to abate the awkwardness. "My sheriff's badge."

Theo immediately started laughing, actually laughing, because it was a good memory.

It was from when they were eight or nine, back in the days when Liam had Theo playing all sorts of stupid dress up games. Theo would bitch and complain about how he didn’t want to wear that, or he didn’t want to play that character, but Liam and his stupid blue eyes always won.

“That was when I was the bank robber, right?” Theo asked with a laugh. Liam had been very bossy in those games, and his character was always the ‘goodie’, while Theo’s was always the ‘baddie’. The memory gave him a chuckle, because that had always been Liam’s favourite, and he had always been so funny and dramatic about it. At least, in hindsight. At the time, Theo kinda hated it.

“Right.” Liam nodded, still smiling and seeming relieved it had worked. “Didn’t even know I kept it, but it was on my shelf under a stack of textbooks.”

“Textbooks?” Theo asked, “Yeah, well, I still have a huge, ugly scar on my knee from where you pushed me off my horse with that stick.”

“Oh, yeah. I just like... reading about things, so I sometimes buy textbooks.” He admitted, somewhat sheepishly. So Liam was still a bit of a book nerd then. Not much had changed there, evidently, even without Jon or the library. Although, Theo was fairly sure his mother kept up sending Liam books to read. Technically they were all his, but he didn’t take them all. “And to be fair, you specifically asked me to joust you. In fact, if I recall, you told me to just try and joust you off the horse because I’d never be able to because you were the best horse rider in your whole kingdom.”

Theo scoffed, but was still smiling, “Semantics. You still knocked me off a horse with a stick.”

“Yes, well, you pushed me off a ladder once.”

“You punched me in the face.”

“You’ve punched me too.”

Despite the arguments, they were both laughing, and it was too much of a relief. They were, evidently, two very angry and very stupid children, and not much had changed, if their bickering was any indication. Still, Theo was having trouble convincing himself the only reason he had liked Liam was proximity.

“So... why are you here, Sheriff Liam, O Great Jouster?” Theo asked, suddenly feeling a little brighter about it all. He’d tried to distance himself from Liam for his sanity, but Liam was back, and immediately, instantly back in his blood stream.

Liam’s brows shot up, and some alarm went off in Theo’s head. He couldn’t place the look, but he knew it wasn’t good. Like Liam assumed Theo knew or was nervous about the fact that he didn’t. “You don’t know?” He asked, and dread set in. He couldn’t place why. It just seemed like dread was needed.

Theo’s brows raised right back. “No. What don’t I know, Dumbar?”

Liam cleared his throat awkwardly, and his long eyelashes cast shadows down his cheeks as he averted his eyes. Okay, so whatever it was, he didn’t want to tell Theo, he realised. He had no idea what that meant.

“The person they’re... y’know, betrothing me to or whatever,” He waved his arms, like he couldn’t find the right words. Theo understood though. They weren’t technically being forced, but... they may as well have been. “It’s Hayden.”

Oh. It made sense now. Why no one had told him this. Why no one had told him Liam was coming at all. Why Liam didn’t want to say it. He wasn’t sure whatever unspoken thing it was that let them both know Theo would not handle this well, but he had to wonder if on some level, they both knew. That maybe... Liam knew how Theo felt on some level. At some point. Theo knew he didn’t feel the same, and that was fine. Theo wasn’t really processing the actual information, yet, because he couldn’t, not in front of Liam.

“Oh. That’s... nice.” Theo managed with a small half smile. “You two were always...” He waved his hand uselessly, and he could already feel his mind spiralling. If he thought really, really hard, maybe Josh would hear him and come help. “Flirty.”

Liam snorted, and Theo felt distinctly like he was missing some kind of joke. "Yeah, no, not really." He said casually. "I mean, she's a good friend, and we get along really well, but it's never been like that. Although, I suppose it will be now. Sorta have no say in that." He smiled, and Theo got the feeling he was equally unhappy about the situation.

Well, maybe not equally. Because on top of Theo being pissed off about his own situation, he now had to sit in the knowledge that his... whatever the fuck Liam was to him was going to be married off to his cousins. To one of his best friends. Which maybe would've been easier to stomach if he thought Liam would be happy with her (maybe, though Theo was probably giving himself too much credit not to be jealous and annoyed anyway), but knowing he didn't want it either only added insult to injury.

He realised he had been silent for too long, so he tried to find words, "You could push back." He suggested as casually as he could, though he knew Liam wouldn't do that. Just like he wouldn't. As much as they could resent their lots in life, they didn't change just because the two of them didn't like them. They weren't the first generation, and probably wouldn't be the last, to suffer this fate. Of course, if Theo had any say in it, no child of his would be pushed into any sort of marriage at all. He didn't care one ounce for bloodlines.

Liam shrugged, but it was sort of defeated and half hearted, and Theo knew his estimations of how Liam would act were right. "I could." He agreed.

"But you're not going to?"

"Are you?"

They stared at each other for a moment longer, and Theo once again wondered if there was some context to this he was missing, some unspoken truth that he wasn't grasping or understanding. But maybe Liam was just challenging him. He was no braver about going against the rules than Liam, he surely had no right to judge Liam on it.

"Touché." Theo said casually. Because no, he wasn't, not anymore than Liam was going to. But shit, if there was anyone in the world he would consider pushing back for... it was the person being married to his cousin. Which honestly, somewhat reaffirmed to him that he had been right to stop messaging him when he did. He was only getting further and further invested and he knew he had to step back before he did something totally ridiculous like tell Liam.

But no. It had been years, Theo had put that distance there, and while he maybe (definitely) still had a soft spot, he was determined that things were going to be different this time around. Especially since Liam would be staying to court his cousin, of all fucking people. Theo couldn't imagine Hayden was any more pleased about it than Liam was, but she must have agreed to it, because he knew her mother wouldn't agree to anything like that on her behalf.

Maybe she didn’t see the whole thing as platonic as he did. Or maybe she just, smartly, figured that it was better to go with someone you already knew and liked than wait for something worse.

Either way, Theo wasn't happy about it. He was over this, he told himself. He was an adult man, and he hadn't even seen this man in years, and he didn't even know him anymore, not really. He was sure there was nothing there, they barely had anything to say to each other after all.

"Is she here yet?" Liam asked. Theo had the impulsive urge to respond by being annoyed at the question, it wasn't like he kept tabs on his cousin. Then again, she was his cousin. And they weren't in Liam's country. So, actually, maybe it was a fair question.

"I don't know." He admitted, "I didn't even know she was coming until just now. Nor did I know you were coming."

Liam's brows shot up, obviously confused. "You... didn't know I was coming?"

“No?” Apparently there had been some miscommunication here, because Theo had assumed Liam had known about the ‘surprise’ element of all this. “I really just assumed you were aware it was a surprise.”

Liam scoffed in response, “Yeah, well, I just assumed you were aware of all of it. She’s your cousin, dude.”

They just stared at each other for a moment, before Theo nearly jumped out of his skin when someone put their hands over his eyes.

“Guess who.”

Theo didn’t actually have to guess, because he’d know the familiar voice anywhere and because of course now would be the moment. “Uh... grandma?” Theo joked, turning just as Hayden’s arms wrapped around him in a hug.

“Hello to you too.” She said as she hugged him, and Theo could hear Liam laughing over his shoulder. As she pulled away, she beamed at Liam, who Theo saw smile back as he turned back into the group again. Now that it was a group. Or... a very awkward triangle of people Theo didn’t particularly want to exist in right at that moment.

“Hey, Hayden.” Liam said, and he gave her a proper, genuine smile. The sort of smile he hadn’t given Theo when he saw him for the first time that night. “Good to see you again.”

“And you.” She smiled right back, and Theo suddenly felt like he was intruding on something that didn’t concern him. “Mind if I, uh, steal your boy, Raeken?” She asked, throwing Theo a teasing smile. This was some sort of game, surely. Some sort of joke. Had Hayden seriously made that joke at him?

“Not mine to steal,” He answered as casually as he could muster, taking a step backwards away from the two of them, forcing himself to search for his friends instead. When he couldn’t find them, Theo took himself off to the bathroom to breathe for a moment, to come to terms with the tonnes of new information that had just been heaped into his shoulders.

Once in the bathroom, overtly large, too fancy, he leaned over the sink, taking deep breaths. There were chairs, and he could’ve sat, but instead he simply waited, trying to force himself to catch his breath. Too much, and all of it so unexpected.

Josh followed a few minutes after, and by then, Theo was calm, but reeling a bit over what this new reality was going to look like. Christmases, birthdays, any sort of royal function, Liam would be there. Married to his cousin. A whole new reality to become acquainted with. The idea of Liam moving on and getting married was one he’d accepted forever, but of Theo spending his life watching him do it? He was a little less prepared for that.

"Hey, man." Josh said, and all of his usual sass had been sapped out of his tone. Frankly, he was relieved. Because as much as he usually appreciated Josh's sass, he really didn't need it right now.

"Hey," Theo answered, and he was surprised by how casual his voice was able to sound. He looked at Josh in the mirror, and Josh dropped down into one of the seats in the room. They must clean these bathrooms so regularly to have them smell so good and have useable seats in them. Not that that was something Theo would usually ever have to think about. He supposed he was trying to find anything else to think about. Although, that was probably pointless, since Josh would almost certainly ask about it all any second.

"So, are we going to talk about--"

"Hello, boys." Tracy said as she flung the door open, dropping into the seat beside Josh. She always sort of walked around with an air of challenge, like she was constantly sort of hoping someone would challenge her on something so that she could tear them apart. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had decked someone while wearing a ballgown before.

"Don't think you're supposed to be in here." Josh told her, leaning down on his elbow and staring at her with sarcastic and judgemental eyes.

"Okay." She nodded, "So which one of you big boys is going to kick me out, huh?" She challenged, her dark brows raising as she glanced between Theo and Josh.

Theo snorted out a little laugh, "Hey, I didn't say anything."

"Traitor." Josh grumbled.

"So, we're all here to talk about the weird couple thing going on out there, right?" Tracy said, nowhere near the same tact that Josh had to offer the situation. Which was fine, that wasn't her thing, but Theo suddenly found himself wondering why his only friends in the world were all more likely to make fun of his predicament than show some sympathy.

Although, Theo had never outright admitted it to anyone else, not either of them. They just weren't stupid. And maybe Theo wasn't great at lying to the two of them, considering they'd both known him since forever. Still, he sort of wished that for a second maybe they would at least pretend not to notice for the sake of his pride.

"Yeah, that's what I came in to ask about as well. How you going, man?" Theo shook his head in response to Josh's comments, not wanting to handle any of it. Not wanting to talk to them. Somehow, scarier than the two of them being mean to him was the two of them being sympathetic to him. He turned on his heel, hopping up onto the sink of the bathroom, swinging his legs.

"Nope, we're not going to do this."

"What do you mean we're not going to do this?" Tracy asked. "We've taken monopoly of the bathroom, we're doing this."

Theo shook his head, "We are not these friends, guys, we don't sit down and have conversations about feelings, that's not something we do."

"Well, buckle up, bud." Josh grinned at him sarcastically, "Because we're being those friends today."

"That's okay." Theo said quickly. "I don't have any feelings."

They exchanged a glance, and Tracy sat forward a little in her seat, leaning her elbows on her knees, looking somehow out of place in a long silk gown, sitting so casually with her head tipped. Theo honestly loved that about her. She was bold and ballsy and never took anybody's shit. She could simultaneously turn up at all these events looking incredible and also be terrifying enough that Theo was pretty sure she could get away with killing him if she really tried. Theo wondered half-heartedly if Liam's friends were also so... scary and sarcastic.

“So... you’re telling me you feel absolutely nothing about Blue Eyes and your cousin dating? Nothing at all?”

They were both waiting for him to fold, cry about how he was heartbroken or some shit, and the harder they pushed, the more stubborn Theo became in his assertion that he didn’t care. He couldn’t lie to himself about it — not really, not when he had felt so immediately sad and overwhelmed (or something like that, he hadn’t placed the emotions yet) only a few minutes before when he’d found out for the first time.

He had a flash of wondering how they even knew about it all, but he supposed they had been talking to Liam’s friends, they’d probably gotten a rundown on why Liam was here. Maybe Josh had seen Theo leave and followed. Tracy had pre-existing scary abilities to know things, but he figured they’d all probably been fairly blindsided by this. Though, really, Theo wasn’t sure how they were both so convinced he would care.

Maybe, Theo figured, if he acted like he didn’t care enough, it’d be true somehow.

“Nope.” Theo said casually, “Couldn’t care less. I’m sure they’ll be very happy together.”

They glanced at each other again, and Theo wondered if it was too late to decide not to have any friends and be one of those princes out of a storybook that sat along in a castle yelling at anyone who gets too close. He loved them, he truly did, but he was ready to shank them both.

"So if we walked out right now to the two of them going at it on the dance floor, you wouldn't care at all?" Josh challenged. Theo sighed, determined that even if this was an outright lie, he would make it a truth, if out of nothing else but spite. He'd have to give up caring at some point anyway.

"Nope." He answered.

He could tell he was winning whatever this was, because they both seemed increasingly more concerned. It occurred to him for a brief second that it wasn't a matter of winning or losing, and that maybe they were both just trying to help him, but he brushed the thought off, finding it far easier to resent the help when he imagined it was mockery instead of concern. He didn't know how to handle concern, it wasn't his thing. Theo was good with bickering and parents who sort've expected you to raise yourself, he wasn't so good with people trying to... nurture him or whatever. And he wasn't so sure being nurturing was entirely within Josh and Tracy's skill sets anyway.

There was a moment of silence, before Tracy spoke up again. He thought it was the softest he'd ever heard her voice sound in twenty-odd years of friendship. He hated it. "Okay. Well, just... y'know, if you were upset." She began, "Neither of us would blame you. Or judge you. Or even make fun of you." She looked at Josh for confirmation, and he nodded earnestly, "We just... we know how you--"

"Don't say how I feel." Theo cut off with a groan, "I told you, there are no feelings here. No feelings. I'm a dried-up raisin of a man. I have not had feelings since I was like seventeen. I burned them out of me with alcohol and uncomfortably tight suit pants."

"Uh-huh." Tracy acknowledged with a wave of her hand, "But let's just say that you did have feelings, that you weren't a raisin, but in fact, a grape, still moist with emotion--"

"Ew."

"-- I'm just saying you wouldn't have to hide that emotion from us. That's all."

Theo pursed his lips, because although this was very kind of them, it was slowly starting to make him want to run away and live on some uninhabited island somewhere, and he needed the conversation to end quickly. "Okay. Well, I appreciate that. But I'm definitely a raisin and not a grape, so... can we just go back out to the party. People will be expecting us to dance together, Trace." He said casually, trying to gloss over everything else being discussed by going back to the usual fake dating schedule.

She got to her feet, fixing her dress and checking herself in the mirror. Flawless, as always. He was lucky she had no interest in running around courting anyone herself or he might be in more danger himself. But she was usually perfectly happy to stay with him, arm in arm, and quietly make fun of everyone else at every function. Sometimes Josh joined them, and they were well known within their own kingdom for their lifelong friendship. Though, and Theo hated to acknowledge it, most articles mentioning them tended to mention Liam as one of his best friends too. As if they'd even been seen together in the past four years.

Tracy held her arm out to him, and Theo took it, happy to let her lead him around. She was less of a disaster than him anyway.

Back out in the ballroom, she led Theo to the dance floor and the two of them went about giving their little show. They'd be in papers tomorrow, all over social media too. That was fine, Theo was used to it, and anyway, they always made a little game out of it. Guessing the headlines or the pictures, guessing what rumours would start. To hear the papers tell it, Tracy had been pregnant three times already. Of course, no child to be produced. They both laughed wildly every time one of those came up, because it was so ludicrous, and yet so obvious.

"So, how many people here do you reckon already have photos of us on their phones?" Theo asked, hoping to go back to their normal energy of quietly and ironically mocking everything about their respective lots in life.

Tracy snorted, a smile on her face. "There are least twenty photos of us coming out of the bathroom together, I guarantee you. I'm sure I'm pregnant again."

He grinned back at her, relieved that she had happily moved on from the rest of it. "I swear we share a mind sometimes."

She laughed, "The real question is how they explain Josh's presence. I'm sure there's a scandal in there waiting to happen." She glanced over to her left hand side, and Theo followed her eyes to where Hayden and Liam were dancing together, chatting away happily as if they were the best of friends. "Then again, we might not even be a part of the cycle. If anything, there might be a nice shot of you and he together underneath the big photo of the two of them."

She was trying to bait him. Theo was sure of that much at least. She was trying to bait him into letting on some sign that it bothered him. He just shrugged in response.

"Yeah, probably. Aw, look, his tie matches her dress. How cute. Like a proper little school couple." He answered, raising his brows at her, as if challenging right back. She shook his head, and Theo got the sense she was annoyed that he was making it into a competition rather than addressing how it bothered him. And it did.

That was the thing, it did bother him. It bothered him how he grinned at her so brightly and so authentically when he had given such an awkward and composed smile to Theo. It bothered him that their outfits matched and that they could dance and people would be happy rather than looking at them funny. It bothered him how nice they looked together, and how natural they seemed together. It bothered him that he had no right to expect anything different. He was the one who had cut Liam off. He had no right to be bothered or upset by Liam's actions in any way. And yet...

"You could ask him to dance."

Theo glanced at Tracy, surprised by the comment. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, you've been publicly friends for, like, ever, it's not that weird." She said with a shrug. "I don't see why you couldn't."

He blinked a few times, "I don't see why I would."

"Why are you dying on this hill?" She asked with a sigh. "There's nothing shameful about having feelings for someone, Theo."

"Where did you even get this from?" Theo asked, "Because I am damn sure we have never had a proper conversation about this, so how the hell do you even know? Or... think you know?"

Tracy shot him a smirk, "First of all, that's totally an admission." She told him, victorious, "Second of all... you didn't have to tell me, dude. You spent like, an insane amount of time complaining about him growing up. You were either going to become his murderer or fall for him, it was an inevitability."

"And what makes you so sure I'm not going to murder him?" Theo asked, scoffing, but he knew he'd pretty much already lost at this point. It was sort of hard for him to combat that assertion in any meaningful way. He definitely had talked about Liam too much growing up.

"Honestly, I'd be kind of relieved." She told him casually, "It'd be easier to help cover up a murder with you than deal with your feelings with you." She raised her shoulders in a shrug and Theo's brows furrowed. Much as he still hated these conversations, the banter was definitely easier for him to tolerate.

"The easy answer is that you could just stop trying to talk to me about my feelings." He grumbled.

"I could." She acknowledged with a nod, "I'm not going to, because you're going to implode at some point, but I could."

Theo groaned dramatically, the two pausing for a moment as one song ended and another began. He shot a cursory glance across the floor, but Hayden and Liam had stayed together, neither showing any sign of wanting to leave the other. Theo forced his eyes away, forced himself to ignore it and however it felt. He would sit down and categorise those feelings later, but right then wasn't the time.

"You know, you wouldn't even be the only two boys dancing together." She commented, nodding to the opposite end of the room, where Brett and Josh were dancing together, Josh looking totally enamoured with the other boy. Of course. Leave it to Josh to manage to pick up in his nightmare zone.

"Of course he does." Theo grumbled, but Tracy just laughed at him. They both knew Theo would never begrudge Josh any chance to be happy, regardless of whether it was sort of weird that he seemed to be all over one of Liam's best friends all of a sudden. But fine. If life could just be that easy and uncomplicated for them, that was totally fine. Unfair, of course, but fine.

"Oh, look, there's Mason and Corey, dancing together, and it not being weird." She gestured, somewhat sarcastically, as if she was mocking him, towards the other two, who had been a thing for so long Theo couldn't remember at what age it had started. Again, different, but he took her point.

"Tracy, I--"

"In fact, I'll go you one better."

With that, and no other explanation, Tracy let go of him and took off walking.

Theo was left staring after her, confused and a little horrified. She'd always been too brave for her own good, too outgoing, but now she was undoubtedly dragging Theo into it, and while he wanted to call out after her to please not do it, he knew it was already too late.

He followed after her, catching up in time to see her interrupt Liam and Hayden, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "So, who does a girl have to bribe to get a dance with her future cousin-in-law, anyway?" Theo's eyes widened. That was her plan? To ask Hayden to dance and leave Theo and Liam standing there awkwardly together? Not to mention the obvious implication that she would marry Theo at some point-- which, honestly, was most likely true, but was still... a choice on her part that Theo didn't fully understand.

"Nobody," Hayden grinned, abandoning Liam quickly and moving to Tracy. They'd been friends forever too, a sort of occupational habit of being someone close in Theo's life. "If you'll excuse me, Liam," She said politely, patting him on the upper arm.

Liam nodded graciously, and made to walk back off the floor, when Tracy stopped him. Theo was undoubtedly going to have to find some way to pay her back, but right at that moment, he could do little other than stand there awkwardly. "You two should dance." She gestured between Liam and Theo. "I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do." She moved away from Hayden long enough to grab one of Liam's hands, drag him (somewhat unwillingly) over to Theo and link their hands. Neither Theo nor Liam said anything, or particularly protested, because how could they? People were watching, and this whole situation was... awkward.

With that, Tracy turned to walk off, moving back to Hayden to dance together, chatting away before they'd even gotten into dancing positions. Theo and Liam, left standing equally awkwardly, got into their implied positions. One of Liam's hands rested on Theo's shoulder, the other still in Theo's hand where Tracy had put it. Theo put his own on Liam's waist, staring over Liam's shoulder to avoid having to look in his eyes. Two of the most powerful men in the entire world being awkwardly pushed around by Tracy, who looked like a gentle breeze could knock her over but could probably put them both on their asses if she really tried.

"Sorry about her," Theo finally managed. "She's... sort of aggressively outgoing sometimes." He admitted, trying to find a way to ease the apparent awkwardness of the situation. The tension of it. He wondered if others were as conscious of how awkward this looked as the two of them both plainly were. People were watching, and a lot of them. Many dancers had broken apart to spectate, and Theo recognised that many of those seated and not dancing were watching too. He felt like he lived in a panopticon, and while that had always been his life, this one was particularly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I... get that vibe," Liam answered with an awkward laugh, "Every time I speak to her, she sort of scares me." He admitted.

"She's good like that," Theo agreed. "I'm not entirely sure that she's not just with me so she can one day kill me and take over the country."

It was only a joke, and they both laughed, but the silence that followed immediately after was grating. He felt like one of them was trying to say something, but he couldn't decide who, and even from his own brain, couldn't decide what he was supposed to (or maybe what he wanted to?) say.

There was a stretching, tense silence and when Theo opened his mouth to speak again, Liam beat him to it.

"Why did you stop talking to me?"

The words came out in a run-together mush of a sentence, and Theo blinked a few times, totally taken off guard. It was a fair question, and one he'd supposed Liam would want to ask at some point, but he genuinely hadn't been expecting for Liam to just come out with it like that out of nowhere.

"Huh?" Theo asked, able to come up with nothing smarter or wittier than to just deny it and hope Liam played along with it. Of course, he knew he wouldn't. There was no good way to ignore what had gone down, and he knew that Liam knew that too. It had been, for lack of a better word, cold.

"Don't." Liam sighed, "Don't act like I'm an idiot. I know we weren't always friends or anything. We like, hated each other for years, and I know that. But... I don't know. I sort of thought we were friends for a few seconds there... We were getting along and... I don't know. I thought we were friends. And then you just... totally ghosted me. And it's not like you could've said I had the wrong number or you weren't getting your texts or whatever, because you stayed friends with Mason but not me. And... just... I don't know. I guess I knew you hated me, but I didn't think you really... hated me." He said all it so quickly that he had to take several deep breaths afterwards, and Theo needed a moment to think through it all. "So... what gives, man?"

Shit. Theo hadn't actually ever thought this through. Was there any good explanation for it? It wasn't like he could just say, ' _ well, Liam, I figured out that I was in love with you and I thought not seeing you would be enough to get rid of that, but it wasn't, so I had to stop talking to you before I did something idiotic, like tell you. _ ' He had no better lie though, nothing that would clarify. The only thing he could do, his only idea besides the truth, was to be harsher than he normally was. Harsher than he wanted to be. And then he would have to deal with Liam's stupid sad eyes and knowing that he was the absolute prick that had made Liam sad.

He took a deep sigh, "I guess you just overestimated our friendship." Theo said. It was callous, and mean, and totally untrue. And he could see immediately on Liam's face the exact reaction he'd been afraid of. The younger prince looked genuinely taken aback, genuinely hurt by the comment, and honestly, even Theo hadn't realised it would have that effect. He didn't know Liam cared that much what he thought of him.

Still, he instantly regretted the words. Liam's eyes widened, and Theo felt his stomach turn uncomfortably, physically upset by what he had done. He was a moron, obviously, he always had been, but why hadn't he thought to come up with a better explanation for what he'd done.

There were a few moments of silence in which Theo tried to collect himself enough to come up with something to say to soften it. To do damage control. To get Liam to stop looking so fucking sad, before he caved and admitted the whole fucking thing right here and now in front of everyone. That he was an emotionally immature, obsessed kid back then. A kid who had had plenty of validation from strangers, but no actual appreciation of who he was, no actual nurturing. That he was selfish and petty and jealous and that his feelings had scared him so much he'd hurt Liam rather than dealing with them himself. That he didn't want Liam to marry Hayden, because it hurt like a bitch to think about it, and kingdom or no kingdom, they would just be better together.

But Theo couldn't say any of that, and in the time it took him to try to pull his thoughts together, Liam's face had become stoic and closed off. "If you don't mind, your Highness, I think I'm going to go get some air."

Liam turned and, polite and casually, began to walk up the stairs of the place and towards the fancy balcony. The same balcony where they'd said on the balustrade and gotten drunk when Liam was eighteen.

He followed with his eyes and, feeling others looking at him, he caught Mason's eyes. Mason's brows furrowed at him, and Theo felt an unspoken threat in them. Theo nodded once, before following after Liam, just as polite and centred in his movements, not wanting to give anyone anything to panic about. Knowing his luck people would start saying they were at war because of it.

"Liam?" He asked as soon as he got out of the ballroom. Nobody else had followed, which was probably for the best. Liam was where Theo had been the last time, sitting up on the stone balustrade, his legs stretched out in front of him, looking out over the dark gardens.

Liam didn't answer, just kept staring, but Theo took that as as good a sign as any to join him. He sat across from him, straddling the stone balustrade, tapping his hands on his knees nervously. Why was he so nervous? It was just Liam. He'd known him since he was five. He'd seen him with broken limbs and snotty noses. Seen him crying and yelling and snoring god knows how many times. It was just Liam. Yet, Just Liam wasn't enough to dismiss his guilt and worry any.

"Hey, Little Prince." He smiled sheepishly, unsure whether he was about to be met with anger or sadness. Or some godawful combination of both.

"Really?" Liam asked, sighing, "I'm nearly twenty-two, man. You're seriously still calling me Little Prince? I'm not even much shorter than you."

"It's a term of endearment." Theo said, giving Liam his best innocent and playful smile. Liam didn't budge, he just stared off, looking... blank. Annoyed, maybe? Upset?

"A term of endearment? Aren't those only for your friends?" Liam answered without missing a beat.

Theo sighed. Okay, so he was going to have to work a little bit harder at this. "Look, I... I didn't mean that." He finally said, "I guess I just... don't have a good answer." He admitted slowly, "Nothing that would... justify it."

Liam's voice remained blank and detached. Theo definitely hated that way more than he hated Liam yelling at him, "You don't have to justify it. You, uh, spent weeks every year with me, but you liked my best friend better. That's fine. Nothing to justify. I get it now. You just... don't like me."

"No, it's really not that." Theo said quickly, frowning. "It's more like... I've never been good at managing... my feelings. Or, um..." He sighed. How could he describe this without bringing anything too real into it. "I guess I missed you and it freaked me out and I thought it was easier to just... have a clean break."

"So you... cut me off because you missed me?" Liam was looking at him like he was stupid, or maybe just lying, and while it was fair, it was actually kind of the truth. Theo had missed Liam. He had missed his stupid smile and his stupid laugh and even his stupid snoring and in lieu of being able to actually have Liam, he'd decided to cut it off altogether in the hopes that a clean break would be enough to... wean him off Liam. It sounded ridiculous, even in his own mind.

"Yeah." Theo frowned, "I know it sounds stupid. But like I said, I'm... bad with this stuff. Feeling anything at all about it really freaked me out." He admitted. This much was all true. "I'd be the same with Josh and Tracy if they didn't both live right near me. Also, we were always friends. You and I... y'know, hated each other. Once upon a time."

Liam shook his head, but didn't answer. Theo raised his brows at him, wanting to know what was on his mind, even if it would unravel his story.

"I never hated you." He said finally, "I was gutted that first year. When I was five and you didn't want to be friends. I really wanted to be friends with you. Maybe I always did. Only reason I ever hated you was because you hated me and it hurt my feelings."

"I'm sorry." Theo answered after a moment of long silence. "I really... I was just a messed up kid. And you were basically me but from another country. And, y'know, with nicer eyes. And my Dad always liked you better." He shrugged. "Guess I just... saw you as a threat."

Liam pursed his lips in thought, and his blue eyes flickered up to run over Theo's face, like scanning it for any signs of it being a lie. He apparently didn't find what he was looking for, because he said no more about any of it.

"You didn't... overestimate our friendship." Theo added quietly. "You just overestimated my emotional intelligence."

Liam nodded slowly, "Maybe, uh... maybe friendship just isn't something we're super good at."

Theo's chest felt cold, like someone had filled his heart with ice water. It was his fault, this was all his fault, but the idea of Liam not wanting to even try to be friends hurt, despite Theo's consistent insistence that they weren't to begin with. Because of course they were. Who else in the world would Theo dress up as a lion for? And who else in the world would jump in their lake with him at three o'clock in the morning when they were seventeen?

"Maybe." Theo said quietly, figuring he had no right to argue. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, the cold of the outside suddenly overtaking his rush of adrenaline and panic enough for him to realise he was absolutely frozen. He took a moment to really look at Liam. His lips were a little blue, his cheeks and nose flushed pink in the winter air. Theo hadn't noticed it start snowing (maybe it only just had), but he could see flakes landing in Liam's eyelashes, and in his hair. He had the sudden urge to lean forward and brush them away. To put his hands on Liam's cheeks and try to warm them. To pull him close against the chill in the air. He ached to know what it felt like to be allowed to hold Liam's hand properly. To dance with him properly, as if he wasn't terrified of what it would mean. He ached to know what it would feel like to have those blue eyes look at him with love, rather than judgement or anger or hurt. He ached for a life he couldn't ever have. Maybe there was no avoiding it. 

Maybe being friends with Liam just wasn't an option.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo act as buffers for their friends, but end up spending most of the time alone instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for a little wait, life's been hectic, but my muse to write has been growing again, so hopefully there'll be more soon!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave any/all feedback!

"Get out or I'll drag you out." Liam stared up at Brett, whose eyes were narrowed down at Liam, somewhat threateningly.

"I could have you arrested, probably." Liam groaned, and Brett just rolled his eyes, pulling on Liam's blanket again.

"Come on, Liam, please. Can't you please just do this for me? How many years have we been friends?"

Liam groaned again, because Brett was absolutely right that he had no choice, he just didn't want to. But since Brett had decided he had the biggest crush of all time on Theo's best friend, he sort of had no choice. Brett had gotten himself tentatively invited over to Theo's castle. As long as Liam was there, that was. Liam, Josh, Theo and Brett. A weird combination of people that Liam had no business being with. It felt like a double date, which seemed like the wrong place for Liam to be all things considered.

It had barely been a few days since Liam and Theo had decided that maybe they were better off staying civil, rather than trying to be friends. It wasn't really what Liam had wanted. He was hoping they could be adults about this, learn to be friends, since they were... going to be seeing a lot more of each other in the future. But then Theo had made that comment about Liam overestimating their friendship, and Liam had decided that he didn't want to sit around waiting for Theo to learn how to be a decent person.

"Yeah, okay, yeah. Fine." He grumbled. "I'm not dressing up though. And I can't promise I won't throw Theo out a window."

"That's valid, it seems like he deserves that. I don't really care what you and he do so long as you play along and let me talk to Josh."

Liam scoffed, "Okay, yeah, I get it. You're whipped already and you barely know him." He paused though, gave a little smile, "Honestly, though, Josh is a really great guy. I'm glad you two have hit it off. It's not his fault his best friend is the worst."

It felt weird to be back at the point of hating Theo (or at least pretending to) after all this time, but he also felt more like Theo deserved it than ever, because they were adults now, and Liam had truly believed that Theo had gotten over all of this bullshit. He thought they had become friends as they'd gotten older, found some sense of understanding. Realising he was wrong... it was fine, he could deal with it, but it took him right back to that teenager mentality. If Theo wasn't going to be nice to him, why should he be nice to Theo?

"Yeah, me too." Brett beamed, and Liam felt bad for being so down on the whole lunch thing.

"It's going to be fun. I'll play nice. Promise."

"Okay. So... does that mean you'll dress nice, at least? Like... just proper pants and a shirt or something?" Brett asked. Liam sighed, because yes, of course he would if Brett wanted him to, even if he didn't really want to himself.

"Yes, dickhead, get out of my room so I can shower and get dressed. I'm up now anyway." Liam said, but there was a friendly smile on his face, and Brett moved out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The wonderful and annoying thing about it all was that Brett was nearly never so excited about meeting someone. He tended to be sort of guarded with his feelings, so if he was really this far into it all and so excited, that probably meant something good for them both. Which meant Liam had to take it seriously and try not to stand in the way because of his own petty bullshit.

So Liam did what he was supposed to do. He put on a nice pair of jeans and a button down, he did his hair and shaved his face, tried to seem appropriately happy to be there, even if he'd rather do just about anything else than go hang out with Theo and think about why Theo still hated him so much after all this time.

By the time he and Brett arrived at Theo’s castle, familiar territory to Liam, but that felt lifetimes away, Liam was all talked out on how perfect Josh was. It was cute really, Liam thought, but he just trying to manage all his own feelings, both positive and negative.

Knocking on the door was weird, because two of the four participants of the day seemed wildly invested and the other two seemed specifically and consciously uninterested.

Before he knew it they were inside, sitting awkwardly around a table with tea and sandwiches in front of them. “This is like... aggressively a cliche.” Liam commented casually, trying to make conversation. “I mean, if two of us were wearing period costumes, we’d look perfect.”

The other three stared at him, and Liam got the sense this was not the correct comment to make. He shrunk back a little, letting the other three discuss whatever they wanted.

What they wanted was apparently to talk about politics and a bunch of other stuff Liam did nothing but think about the rest of his life. It wasn’t his idea of a perfect brunch conversation, especially when he was already uncomfortable, so he zoned out, staring around the room at different details and art pieces and drinking his tea. Theo was noticeably quiet as well, but the idea was for Josh and Brett to hang out, so that made sense. Liam and Theo were supposed to be their buffers, but by the time they’d gotten to a philosophical conversation about the meaning of life and religion, Liam was pretty sure they didn’t need any kind of buffer.

“Hey, Theo?” He queried quietly, not wanting to interrupt their impassioned conversation. “Can I go see the library?”

Theo nodded, looking, frankly, relieved. “Sure, I’ll come with.” He said with a smile. “You guys have fun.” Maybe Theo was as reluctant to sit and listen to such a serious conversation as Liam was. That was fine, arguing with Theo was better than global purpose with Brett and Josh, who would probably be engaged by dinner with how vigorous and deep their conversation had become. It was cute, if not a little scary.

The two of them got up to go, Liam patting Brett on the shoulder as he passed.

When they were out of the room, Theo breathed an audible sigh of relief. “They’re really cute together and clearly both very smitten, but holy shit, I thought I was going to lose my mind. Like, they’re literally talking about philosophical and theological developments out there. Am I stupid or is that like, the weirdest first date talk ever?” Theo asked, shaking his head.

Liam fully and completely agreed, but he also wasn’t sure when he and Theo had become friends again or whatever. His brows raised, confused. He didn’t question it, instead, just tried to keep his answers polite and casual. Theo had given him every reason to assume the worst, and he’d probably deserved a little ice from Liam. “You’re stupid.” Liam shrugged, “They’re smart.”

Theo blinked, as though he was genuinely shocked by Liam’s answer. “Damn, Little Prince, and here I thought you were coming around on me.”

Liam could be nice about it. He could be civil and just keep his distance, but as it turned out, Liam still had too much fire and Theo still brought it out in him. “Guess you overestimated how much I thought about you.”

He gave a tight sarcastic smile and Theo’s brows raised. Where he was expecting anger, something else took over Theo’s face, something Liam couldn’t read. Amusement, maybe? “Oh, I don’t think so.” Theo answered, smirking. “I think you think about me all the time, and you just don’t want to admit it.”

Something about his voice sounded almost flirty, and Liam had no idea what was happening here. They weren’t supposed to be friends, but they could flirt? Was that what this was or was Liam just misunderstanding? “I have better things to think about than you, Raeken. Didn’t know you were so desperate for my attention.”

Liam hadn’t meant to sound flirty back. He’d meant to sound angry and dismissive, totally over Theo and anything he represented.

“So you’re telling me I never cross your mind?” He asked, and Liam blinked, because what the fuck else could that mean? Theo was standing closer to him than Liam realised and he wasn’t sure what was happening.

Honestly, he couldn’t say, truthfully, that Theo didn’t cross his mind— because he did. But what did the truth matter here? He just couldn’t let Theo’s inflated confidence any bigger.

“Any particular reason you’re trying to bait me into paying attention to you? I didn’t realise you were so needy, Theodore.”

He shrugged, and Liam could see that same cocky look on his face that he hadn't seen for years. It was still so familiar that he nearly smiled genuinely. Nearly. "Guess I'm bored."

“You’re bored so your instinct here is to ask whether I think about you?” Liam asked, blinking at him. Was this some kind of game? Theo messing with him? He almost felt like the implication was that Liam was into him— and at this point, did literally everyone in the world think so? Liam was over answering these questions, especially to Theo who had only just been so dismissive of being friends with him a few days earlier.

“Yeah. I’ve been messing with you since we were children. It’s what I do.” Theo said casually, walking as though he was trying to model strut through the place. He didn’t meet Liam’s eyes, but Liam scrutinised his profile. His unfairly attractive profile, which did nothing to hide the smirk on his face.

“Okay.” Liam nodded, “But what’s the game here? Seeing what would happen if you flirt with me?”

Theo glanced up at him, and Liam tried to figure out what expression was on his face, but couldn’t find much familiarity in it. He couldn’t read it. “You wish, Dumbar.”

Liam grinned, “I don’t have to wish, you just did it.”

“I wasn’t flirting with you, dumbass.” Theo said, but his casual demeanour seemed to have slipped somewhat. Liam couldn’t quite figure out why, or what was happening.

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly, and it seemed like maybe he was actually getting to Theo. For once. Ever. “Oh my god. You were totally flirting with me.” He said through a giggle.

“No, I was pointing out that you think about me.” Theo answered, but he’d faltered enough that Liam had found something to latch onto.

“Uh-huh. That sorta didn’t work for you, did it?” Liam grinned, happy to have the upper hand for once. “Because you actually ended up just hitting on me.”

“I didn’t—“ He was clearly getting frustrated, and Liam couldn’t help but smile widely at him, unable to help but gloat a little at what he’d stumbled upon. Liam didn’t actually think that Theo was hitting on him, but if it embarrassed him, even a little bit, then Liam was going to milk it for everything it was worth. “I didn’t hit on you, Liam. Please.” He scoffed.

"You know, it's okay if you did," Liam teased, a grin still etched onto his face. Overestimating their friendship, Liam's ass. He was incredibly certain that in fact, this was what their friendship was made of. Pushing each other's' buttons as aggressively as they were able and still somehow both winding up laughing. Or at least, for once, Liam got to laugh.

"Yeah, well, I didn't." Theo snapped, and then, after an extended moment of staring at Liam, he cracked a smile. "But I did... deserve this. This... whatever kind of messing with me is going on right now." He waved a hand in Liam's direction, who just grinned earnestly at him in response.

"You're right, you do deserve it." Liam said with a nod. And honestly, Theo kinda did. Though Liam didn't much want to think about what any of it meant. Because the truth was, Theo had really hurt his feelings. Theo's words had been fair, and they resonated, reminded Liam of how things had been growing up, but they still hurt. What was worse, Liam felt embarrassed for being hurt. Evidently, they weren't anything. Not friends. They were people who had been thrown together as kids. And he was fine with that, it was something he'd always known. Maybe he'd been naive in assuming that at some point, as adults, things would change.

Maybe Theo sensed what was going on in Liam's head, because he was serious for a minute. "I'm a dickhead. I know that." He said finally. Liam didn't answer at first, because he had no idea how. He was too soft for this shit. His instinct was immediately to tell Theo it wasn't true, to somehow comfort him for the shitty thing he'd said to Liam after years of not speaking.

But Theo didn't really deserve that, and Liam being too forgiving had been a thing since forever. Albeit usually not to Theo, who he had routinely harassed back growing up, mostly in retaliation.

"Yeah, you are." Liam managed, which felt a little out of pocket, but which he forced himself to say anyway. "I mean, you like, really are. But if putting up with you makes Brett happy, I am here. Walking around with your big, stupid face."

Theo let out a laugh, and Liam glanced up, surprised by his response. "Alright, Liam. If walking around with my big, stupid face is that bad, you can always wander off on your own. You know the castle and I trust you not to break anything."

"I want to see the library." Liam repeated, stubbornly.

"Well, then you're stuck with my big, stupid face."

Liam glared at Theo, because as long as he'd known him, Theo had never elected to go into that library. He'd always complained about it. Complained about the dust and the smell. It was always so dark in there, since Jon had never liked opening the curtains much, and while Liam loved his little balcony and all of the ambiance, Theo didn't. So he wasn't sure why Theo would insist that he needed to go in there, except to annoy Liam.

When they finally arrived, Liam walked into the room first. It looked the same. A little less used perhaps, a little neater, but the same. The same wheeled ladder and little balcony. The same desk by the window Jon used to sit in. Liam thought wistfully about the first time he’d seen Jon. How large and frightening and mean he’d seemed. How Liam thought he was going to eat him.

He walked through the room and immediately went to drag the wheely ladder to his little balcony. He’d slept there more than once over the years, though surely never that anyone else would recall. Other than Theo, maybe.

“I never understood your obsession with that balcony.” Theo groaned as he walked in behind Liam, a little more tentative about the whole thing. Liam didn’t know why, but he didn’t question it. It wasn’t his place, and anyway, Theo had said himself, they weren’t friends.

“It’s cool. Totally pointless and impractical, serves absolutely no purpose.” Liam tried to explain.

“I think you’re confused, Liam. Those are my points. You’re meant to be arguing in favour of the stupid, weird balcony.” Theo deadpanned, brows raising.

“No, it’s like... the coolest bits of architecture are the ones like this. I mean, it’s like a random little splash of chaos. At some point in the history of your bloodline and this family, there was probably a reason for that balcony... and we’ll never know.” Liam brightened, excited to talk about it, “Doesn’t that fascinate you? The history of it all? It’s like a lost moment. We can see it, but we’ll never know why it’s here.”

Theo watched him, a little smile on his face as Liam sat cross legged on his little balcony. “You’re a nerd.” He told Liam, but his voice sounded more fond than judgemental. “Not just that, you’re... a history and architecture nerd. Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Yes, well...” Liam shrugged, “Probably because you’re a jerk who rarely listens to anything I say.” Although honestly, Liam wasn’t sure if he had ever told Theo how he felt about those topics. “Your dad used to send me a lot of history books. I always found them fascinating. Especially the history of other places. Places where this whole... monarchy thing... wasn’t a thing.”

Theo’s brows raised at Liam, and he could see that he had Theo’s full attention now. How weird that a throwaway comment about his balcony had been what finally did it. “Where the monarchy isn’t a thing?” He asked, interested.

Liam nodded, shrugging as Theo pulled the heavy curtains open, drenching the place with light.

Liam squinted against it, shifting his position on his little balcony so that it wasn’t in his eyes. “Are you scared of heights or something?”

“What?” Theo glanced up at Liam, genuinely surprised. “No. Why?”

“Why do you hate my balcony, dude?”

Theo rolled his eyes and got onto the ladder, climbing up quickly. “Scooch over, man, this thing wasn’t made for two people.”

Liam scooted into the corner, knowing full well two grown adults weren’t really a comfortable fit. But he’d been up here with multiple people all the time when they were children, and it was weird how much time had changed without him even really realising it.

They both sat cross legged, their knees pressed against each other, awkwardly facing. “See?” Theo bragged, “Not afraid of heights.”

“Okay.” Liam nodded. “So what’s your issue with the balcony? Or the library in general, you’ve always been so weird about this place.”

“I’ve already told you this.” Theo said, his eyes focused down at his own hands, which tapped against his thighs absently.

“No, I mean, I know. Sorry, I didn’t mean to...” Liam was an absolute idiot. He’d just been trying to joke about Theo’s distaste for the balcony, he hadn’t thought about the dangerous territory he’d wandered into. “I was just trying to joke, I wasn’t...”

“It’s fine, Dunbar. Really, it’s fine.” Theo waved him off, looking pained at the awkwardness of it all. It was fair, Liam was wishing he’d never spoken before at this point. “I don’t like the balcony because it was always your thing. Your thing with my Dad.”

“Oh, I...” Fuck, this was so much worse than what Liam thought. “I’m sorry, man, I wasn’t trying to...”

“Shut up, Liam, it’s fine. I was really competitive about it when we were kids though. You were... my direct competition. Not just as royals, but with my Dad too. And you never saw any of the bad. He just loved you.”

Liam fell silent, because he had no idea what to say. The Jon he’d known had always been kind and intelligent, patient with Liam and his issues with reading. He really hadn’t known that Theo had any of these issues until a few years before, and even now he was realising he didn’t know the extent of it.

“You know why he used to read with me so much?” Liam asked.

Theo’s green eyes flicked up at Liam, and Liam suddenly realised he could remember exactly how Theo had looked when they were kids. When they were ten or twelve, Liam couldn’t remember, and he’d run off because Theo had made some crack about his father. He could remember the way his hair had looked. It was fairer then than it was now. He could remember the slight dash of freckles on his nose from too much time in the sun. He had them now too, but less visibly. He was more sunkissed now and his eyelashes were just as long and distracting as they ever had been.

“Because I had no Dad. I had no Dad, but I had a lot of trouble reading. I had dyslexia and ADHD and some trouble with my temper but I loved reading. And a big part of the reason I loved reading was because your Dad was patient with me about it. I think he realised how hard it was for me to learn, and that I was missing that in my life, and he tried to help. He didn’t... like me better, he was just... kind.”

Theo was staring at him, his green eyes widened slightly. It was totally unreadable to Liam, though not for a lack of trying. He waited for Theo to say anything, or maybe to just let Liam have any indication of what was going on inside his head. But nothing. Nothing shifted.

"What?" Liam finally asked, wondering what it was he had said to cause such a drastic shift in how much Theo was willing to talk shit at him.

"I don't know. You still surprise me sometimes." Theo managed with a shrug.

Liam didn't know what that meant. Had he just not realised about Liam's issues or was there more to it? He got distracted for a moment thinking about how weird the last few days had been. He had barely seen or spoken to Hayden, yet here he was again, just like when he was ten, sitting with Theo in the castle, needling each other and getting a few laughs out at each other's' expense. Theo didn't often come up here with Liam though, which felt like another thing all on its own, even though they barely fit there and were having a really weird and unpredictable conversation.

"Hey, so you never told me why you like reading about civilisations without monarchies?"

Liam's thoughts came back into focus, surprised that Theo had even been listening enough to realise what Liam had been getting at. "Oh, yeah. I don't know. Our lives are so... prescribed, y'know? Sometimes I just like to imagine what it would be like if... they weren't."

"Prescribed..." Theo repeated, looking down for a moment longer, as if he was trying to figure out what Liam meant. Then, quietly, "You mean... Hayden?"

Liam had known he was going to figure it out, because that's what Theo did. And, yeah, he was right. Liam was talking about Hayden. But not just Hayden. He was talking about his entire upbringing. He was talking about not ever being allowed the option to choose a job. He was talking about never getting to go to a regular high school dance or being able to go out to the shops without people photographing and approaching him. He was talking about the fact that normalcy just wasn't something that he'd ever had or would ever be allowed to have. Theo was one of the few people who would truly understand that, but Liam recalled Theo saying they were really friends, and so he didn't really want to try to have that kind of a conversation with him.

"Well... among other things." He frowned, "I'm sorry, I know she's your cousin and--"

"No, I get it." Theo said quickly, dismissing it. "She's not naive. I'm sure everyone knows what's going on." Theo told him, clearing his throat.

"I don't know. Is it the life that anybody else would have wanted?" Liam asked.

Theo just shrugged. "Don't know. At least you might be happy with her?" He suggested, but Liam got the sense that maybe he was fishing for information. Probably on Hayden's behalf, probably because he was her cousin and wanted her to be happy.

"I mean... yeah. True. But probably not in the way I wanted." And really, that was the truth of it. They would be good friends, they would be fine, but it wasn't what Liam wanted. It wasn't a love story, it wasn't romance, it wasn't passion. "But I mean, you're better off, right? You and Tracy have been together for like, ever, yeah?"

Theo snorted, not meeting Liam's eyes, shaking his head at the floor. "Nah. Tracy's a lady, technically anyway, and she was one of my best friends. We're not really together. Not anymore than you and Hayden anyway."

"Oh." Liam nodded slowly, running his hand through his hair. Maybe that should have occurred to him earlier, but it didn't. In truth, he'd seen Theo and Tracy together since forever, so when it was revealed and confirmed that they were an item, Liam just sort of assumed that Theo got lucky. That he actually managed to fall for someone that he knew and liked and who would make him happy. It hadn't even occurred to him that Theo had just chosen someone so that he couldn't be forced to date someone else. "Maybe I'm really stupid, but that didn't even cross my mind."

Theo grinned, "You're a little kid who still believes in fairytales, huh?"

Liam felt stupid suddenly, but he shook his head. "No." He said finally, "It's not that, it's just..." He shrugged, "I don't know. You're sort of a dickhead, and you and she have been friends for years, so I figured maybe she was someone who could put up with you."

Theo snorted, "Someone who could put up with me?"

Liam nodded, "Yeah. Like I said, you're sort of the worst. I don't know what Josh and Tracy are getting out of it." He was trying to sound annoyed, but he sounded amused, and they were both smiling at each other nonetheless.

"You realise you put up with me, right? That you have for... like, the vast majority of both of our lives?"

"Oh yes. I know. But I overestimated our friendship, so..."

Theo let out a big dramatic sigh, collapsing heavily on the wooden bars behind him on the balcony, "Oh, come on. I apologised. I never apologise. How long are you going to hold that against me?"

"I don't know, Theo," Liam said, equally as dramatic, head tipped back, his eyes still trained on Theo. "How many years did you torture me for?"

Theo was grinning at him, and for a split second, Liam actually felt like they really were friends. With their knees crushed together, barely fitting in the little balcony, drenched with afternoon light. It was calm, and quiet, and Theo was totally focused on Liam. He had the sudden and somewhat awful realisation that he had waited years for this. That he had been desperate for Theo's attention once, for his friendship, even as he had told himself ad nauseam how much he hated Theo. He realised how badly he wanted to spend time with Theo and to have Theo smiling at him, wanting to talk to him. He had to tear his eyes away, suddenly wondering why he had thrown himself into this situation yet again after Theo had been so dismissive of him so recently.

"That's fair." Theo said finally. "But your best friend is rapidly falling in love with my best friend, and you're going to be marrying my cousin, so we're going to have to figure something out."

Liam sobered for a moment, and he let his eyes run over Theo's face, like sizing him up. How could someone who had driven him crazy for his entire life mean so much to him? Have so much random influence over how he thought and what his mood was? "I thought we decided we couldn't be friends."

"No, you decided that." Theo said finally, "I'm just the dickhead that pushed you to make that decision. Or... what did you used to call me? Prince Stupid? Yeah, I'm that one."

"So... what? After torturing me for like, over a decade straight, you now want us to be best buds because our friends are all loved up in there?" He nudged his head back towards the way they came.

"Yeah." Theo nodded, "Or... something like that anyway."

"Hell fucking no." Liam said with a snort, shaking his head.

Theo looked genuinely hurt for a second, which honestly surprised Liam. "What?"

"I mean, you tortured me for literally a decade, man." Theo nodded slowly, looking surprisingly sad, and so Liam added, "I mean, you're gonna have to work way harder than that if you want to be friends." Tentatively, Liam managed a smile.

"So you're saying I still have a chance to win you over?" Theo asked, a small smile pulling at his face.

Liam shrugged, "I mean, maybe. But it's not going to be easy. I mean, you're going to have to earn it." He teased.

"Noted." Theo said, "I can be very charming when I try."

"I wouldn't know, you've always been like, a raging wet sock to me."

"A... a raging wet sock?" Theo repeated, grinning at him.

"Yeah." Liam groaned, realising how stiff his legs and back were getting squashed into this small space together. "I feel like we're in a bathtub together."

Theo choked, seemingly on nothing, and had to cough a few times, his hands covering his face. Liam just raised his brows at him, figuring that Theo would be fine, though he might be more concerned if Theo didn't stop after only one or two coughs.

"What the hell does that mean?" Theo asked, sounding totally dumbfounded by Liam's comment.

Liam shrugged, like it was obvious. Wasn't it obvious? Two people in a bathtub together would always be squished in. He could remember from when he was a little kid and was still sometimes forced to take baths with family members for photos and all that dumb stuff. He imagined it'd be worse as an adult, and he was only referring to that. "Uh... as in, we're really squashed into a small space."

"But we're not naked."

"Why would we be naked?"

" _ Why would you be talking about bathtubs _ ?"

*

“No, you’re not—“ A groan, “Your centre of gravity is off, you need to— damnit, you need to lean to the right!”

“I am leaning to the right, you’re not— ugh, hold still, you’re a terrible support system.”

“I’m not a fucking pack mule, mate.”

“Well, you’re not a very good ladder either!”

“Should I be fucking offended?”

“Yes! It was an insult!”

There was a throat clearing, and both Liam and Theo stopped their argument to turn to it. Brett and Josh stood on the ground looking up at them from where they were perched. From their faces, Liam thought, you’d think they’d walked in on some ritual sacrifice. As it happened, Liam knew it was a little weird, but they had their reasons.

“So, uh... what the fuck’s going on here?”

Neither of them looked particularly impressed, but Josh specifically looked like he might be about to burst into tears from holding in his laughter.

Liam was perched on Theo’s shoulders, up on the balcony, trying hard to get to a spot on the exceptionally high ceiling. He had one hand stretched up and the other covering Theo’s face somewhat aggressively with one splayed hand, which he had done because Theo had kept going on about how clumsy he was when he wasn’t playing sports. Theo, for his part, was leaning forward, trying to help Liam reach the spot.

“Are you going to explain? You two went off to look at books and now you’re... piggybacking on a weird, unnecessary indoor balcony...?” Brett asked, hands on his hips, both brows raised.

Liam blinked, and looked down at Theo, who threw both arms up excitedly, nearly toppling Liam off in the process. “Thank you! Unnecessary indoor balcony!”

“Hey, dipshit, you’re going to drop me and I’m going to break something. On your property.  _ Again _ .”

"See if I care."

"If I break a limb, I'm breaking one of yours."

"You can  _ try _ ."

Brett and Josh kept looking at them, as if they had answered absolutely none of the questions that the two had. Which, to be fair, they hadn't. They hadn't really explained what they were doing or how they had ended up in this admittedly odd position. Brett had dragged Liam here against his will, and now he was perched on Theo's shoulders in the library, bickering as if it was nothing.

"We found a door, we think it might be a trap door." Liam finally filled in. "We were trying to see if I could get to it if I was on Theo's shoulders." Liam explained awkwardly, letting his outstretched arm fall back down, both of his hands resting casually on the top of Theo's head.

"Well, neither of you are tall, you should have asked us." Josh said casually.

"Alright, fuck you." Liam said with a scoff. "We were letting you two be all... y'know, gross and in love out there."

"Do... do you want me to get up there?" Brett asked, brows raised sarcastically, giving Liam a look like he was probably going to try to fight him later.

"No, fuck you, we can do this ourselves." Theo answered, and Liam couldn't help but grin. It was weird to be on the same team ever, especially against their own best friends, but it was weirdly validating for them both to be using virtually the same insults to defend themselves, while staying in this ridiculous position together.

And so Liam stretched up, as much as he was able, probably squeezing his legs a little too tight around Theo’s neck to do so. Theo didn’t complain though, almost certainly because his honour had been challenged by Brett and Josh’s lack of faith.

“Got it!” Liam grinned as he was able to push the latch aside. Getting a good enough grip on the very edge of the roof, he was able to pull himself up, though with massive strain to his muscles. Every part of him desperately didn’t want to, wanted to let go and say it was too hard, but this was a matter of pride. And honour. And Theo and him finally being on the same side for something.

When he got inside, Liam pulled his phone from his pocket and switched the flashlight on, flashing it around.

Everybody beneath sounded excited, and Liam heard Theo’s voice call up to ask what he’d found.

“Uh... it’s a roof.” He admitted. “Like, an attic, kind of. Nothing exciting. Just insulation piping.” He wished he had more exciting news to throw back down, something better that’d happened, but no. All that for a roof.

“You two are as dumb as each other.” Josh groaned, and though Liam couldn’t see him, he was certain Josh was rolling his eyes at them.

Liam scoffed, "Move, Theo, so I can get back down. Unless you want me to jump on you." He poked his face down, laying flat on the dusty attic floor. Theo was looking up at him, quite a bit of a way down.

"You're going to get hurt if you just jump." Theo answered, looking up at Liam with a slightly open mouth, craning his neck.

“And if I jump on you, I’m going to hurt both of us, so move.” Liam argued, shaking his head. He moved to tuck his feet and calves through the hole, planning to shimmy his way to drop down back onto the balcony. Which, really, he hoped was structurally sound enough to take that fall.

“No.” Theo argued flatly. “Just drop into my arms, I’ll catch you.”

“You are... absolutely fucking kidding me, right?” Liam yelled back, shocked. Why would Theo even want to risk this? Who did it help, really? They’d both get hurt if Theo fell, or the balcony couldn’t take that drop of weight, plus Theo’s weight.

“No. I’ll be fine, dumbass, just drop into my arms.” Theo sounded annoyed and stubborn, and Liam got the feeling he wouldn’t be dropping it any time soon.

So Liam did. He let himself drop through the gap, landing hard against Theo’s arms. He felt like a child, being held bridal style by a man whom he had claimed to hate for years. Nobody ever told you in movies how it hurt to hit someone else’s body with such force, the smack of muscle and skin and bone against muscle and skin and bone, especially from a height. But Theo didn’t waver, didn’t topple, and Liam blinked owlishly up at him, a little winded from the drop.

"Ow." Liam grumbled, but then, after a moment, "Thanks, Theo."

Theo just nodded, and for a moment, and really, Liam couldn't say exactly how long that moment lasted, the two of them simply stared at each other. Liam was noticing things up close, or just taking the time to really look at an unusual proximity. The brush of stubble against Theo's jaw. The colour of his eyes, how it was almost grey, but almost green, something he had no name for. The arch of his brows and curve of his eyelashes.

But then Liam heard a wolf whistle, and he instantly looked away, "You can put me down," He breathed.

Theo cleared his throat awkwardly, nodded, and set Liam back on the ground. Liam purposefully avoided everyone’s eyes, not sure whether he was more afraid to meet Brett’s, Josh’s or Theo’s.

He knew what would happen. He could feel Theo’s awkwardness, his smugness like it radiated through his skin. He could feel Brett and Josh’s amusement and most likely mocking. Liam already felt sort of stupid and useless, but more so now.

“Well, that was romantic.” Josh commented with a smirk. “I didn’t know you two had it in you.”

“Shut the fuck up, mate.” Theo said quietly, and it struck Liam that he actually might be just as uncomfortable. He braved a glance at Theo, who was sort of pointedly looking up at the ceiling.

“Why are you here anyway? I thought you two would be talking for the next seventeen and a half years.” Liam cut in, trying, for whatever unknown reason, to take some of the pressure off Theo, who they were both snickering at. “We’re amusing ourselves so you two can have your cinderella story.”

“We were worried you’d murdered each other up here. You were too quiet and it was weird.” Brett answered, and Liam instantly regretted looking over at him, because he could see the sarcastic, knowing smile on his face. “Had no idea you were actually just going full Indiana Jones meets the Goonies up there.”

“We weren’t...” Liam glanced at Theo, who looked like he was struggling to articulate a thought. In fairness, everything about it was weird. From the original piggyback to the fact that they went through all that to get into what appeared to be an air conditioning duct to the fireman’s hold and even the fact that Josh and Brett stood, hand in hand, on the ground while Theo and Liam stood up on a balcony that wasn’t really two man sized. “Ugh, never known someone to be so judgy about two men trying to find a secret passageway before.”

“Dude...”

“Yeah, I know, I heard myself.”

“So, uh... what now?” Liam asked, brushing past Theo and Josh’s awkward interaction. “Are we getting food or watching a movie or something, or are we going?”

He didn’t want to rush Brett, and he really did like Josh, so if being around Theo was the price of admission for Brett’s happiness, he’d pay that. Willingly.

“Uh, I don’t know. Hadn’t thought that far ahead of checking you two were still alive.” Brett admitted, glancing sideward at Josh, who shrugged. “Maybe uh... maybe we should head off, don’t want to overstay my welcome.” He added with an awkward half smile.

“No such thing, man.” Theo said casually. “You’re welcome here any time.” He threw a glance in Liam’s direction, “All of you.”

“We probably should go.” Liam agreed, but for a moment longer, he found himself looking up at Theo. They were friends now, sort of, and Liam found that he actually liked Theo sometimes. An uncomfortable truth Liam had been trying to avoid for as long as he could remember.

He climbed down the ladder, back onto the ground, and Theo went with him. The four of them, standing around like no one knew quite what to do with themselves. Before Theo began walking towards the front of the castle and everyone followed along. Liam fell into step beside Theo, leaving Josh and Brett to walk on their own behind him.

"That was embarrassing." Theo told Liam as they walked, having another space between them to talk without being heard.

"Was it?" Liam grinned, "I don't regret a thing. What if we had found a secret passage? We've only been trying since we were like... what, fourteen?"

Theo shot him a grin back, and Liam wasn't sure when they'd last gotten along so well. Despite all their bickering, there had been a lot of laughter, and a lot of smiling, and Liam was beginning to wonder if any amount of bullshit would be worth it for Theo to smile like that at him. He hated the thought, hated to admit it to himself, but Theo always had been... beautiful. Physically, at least. It was impossible to ignore.

"I mean, you're absolutely right. And if you don't regret it, I suppose I can find it in myself to be shameless about it."

"Hey, man, they're the ones who forced us together today. They have no right to judge us for what happens." Liam grinned, "Besides, some couples want to sit around talking about philosophy, others want to nearly break their necks finding secret passageways."

"Couples?" Theo asked, a smirk pulling at one side of his mouth.

"Shut up, you know what I mean."

"Do I?" Theo asked, bumping his shoulder into Liam's as they walked. "Always knew you had a thing for me, Dunbar."

Liam scoffed, "You caught me. Obviously i've spent the last decade secretly pining for you from behind closed doors. My heart aches for you and all of that shit." He joked, his tone dripping with sarcasm, though he could feel his own cheeks burning. None of that was true, so why did he feel... caught?

"Alright, you two, quit the flirting, we're here." Josh cut them off as they got to the front door. A relief really, because they were wandering into uncharted water and Liam had no idea how they'd gotten there or what it meant.

Josh and Brett wandered off ahead towards the car, presumably to have a moment of privacy to say goodbye, and Liam and Theo stood around inside the foyer, waiting for something to change. Waiting to be called, maybe.

Liam turned to face Theo, who was already watching him, his expression unreadable, and cleared his throat.

"So..." Liam began, their easy flow having been disrupted by the other two and Josh's comment about flirting. "It was, uh, good to see you. I guess."

Theo laughed, loudly, and Liam realised he really liked the sound.

"Yeah, good to see you too, dumbass."

They stood for a second, both seeming unsure, before Theo took a step forward, wrapping his arms around Liam in a hug. It was weird, maybe the first time they'd ever hugged casually, without someone crying or taking photos of them. And though Liam's brows scrunched up in confusion, he didn't pull away, but hugged Theo back. It lasted a second longer than Liam was expecting it to, and when Theo did pull away, he had a more genuine, smaller smile on his face. "I meant what I said you know. About earning your friendship."

It took Liam a second to remember what Theo was talking about, but he nodded. "Yeah, we'll see." He said slowly, nodding once. "Bye, Theo." He paused another moment, as if he wasn't sure whether to leave or if there was something else that needed saying. Either way, he turned slowly, walking out, waiting by the car for Brett, who followed only a few moments later.

They got in the car, and Brett waxed lyrical about Josh. His eyes, his face, his humour, his brain. Liam wasn't really listening. He was happy for Brett, genuinely, but there was something else on his mind. Something uncomfortable and heavy. The weight of longing, maybe. A longing he hadn't even been conscious of. 

In some capacity, and Liam wasn't really sure what it was, wasn't sure he could say with any certainty, Liam did like Theo.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo admits to some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this has taken so long, my writer's block/self-consciousness has really been going off lately! I'm trying to pull it together and get more done though!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and please feel free to leave any/all feedback!

“So you admit it. You give in.” Josh said, head in his hands, casting a sideward glance at Tracy, who was trying hard not to smile broadly.

“Not if you say it like that.” Theo scoffed.

“Come on, Theo.” Tracy said slowly. “Nobody here is judging you. We’re your best friends. If you can’t say it to us, who can you say it to?”

Theo lay face down on the lounge, his whole body feeling too heavy to lift, too tired, too distracted. He grumbled loudly into the lounge, and he heard Tracy’s surprisingly tinkling laugh.

“Theodore...” Josh began, a warning edge to his tone.

“Fine!” Theo yelled, rolling onto his back. “What do you want me to say? That I love him? That I’m pretty sure I’ve  _ always _ loved him? That I’d tear out my own heart or set myself on fire to keep him warm? That it absolutely fucking  _ kills _ me to see him in someone else’s arms? Fine! I’ll be vulnerable if that’s what you vultures want! I love him! I love him so much it feels like I’m drowning in it sometimes! Are you happy?”

His two best friends stared at him like he’d said something totally out of left field. He wasn’t sure what, since they’d been pushing for him to admit this since they were young teens. What more was there? That when Liam had been upset at him, it’d broken his heart? That when Liam had called them a couple, he’d felt like he was flying? There was no denying it anymore.

“Damn. I just thought you wanted to bone him.” Tracy admitted, only partly joking. She knew it was more than that, but maybe not to the fullest extent.

“Well... you were wrong.” Theo grumbled, rolling back onto his stomach again.

“So then... why aren’t you doing anything about it?” Josh asked.

“What would I do about it?” Theo snarked, scoffing, “Go to him and say, ‘Hey Dunbar, remember how I tortured you for a decade? Yes, well, it turns out I’m just a walking cliche who’s been in love with you since we were children and didn’t know how to handle it. Want to defy all family honour and run away with me?’ I mean,  _ fuck _ , Josh, what do I even have to offer him? I’m an angsty, sarcastic crown prince. And maybe the prince part would be enough, except he is too.”

“I mean, yeah,” Josh answered casually, “You could say exactly that. All of those things.” He shrugged, “Say you like him and that you always have and that you want more from this.”

“I  _ can’t _ . You understand why I can’t.” Theo said with a frown, “Even if he  _ did _ feel the same way — which, why would he? I’ve given him no reason to like me — what we do? Abandon our kingdoms and run off? It just isn’t realistic.”

“Okay, so... I don’t care if you have a gay lover while you marry me.” Tracy said with a shrug. “I’m planning to have my own. Maybe you can just be each others’... concubines.”

Theo groaned dramatically. “ _ Tracy _ !”

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t think of a better word!”

“What brought this on anyway?” Josh asked. “You’ve spent like, a million years denying you felt anything towards him. Why now?”

Truth was, Theo had no good answer. He didn’t know what had changed. Maybe seeing him after years had startled Theo into a realisation. Maybe Liam being upset at him changed things. Maybe Josh’s comments had tipped him off. Or maybe, and it was the harder truth, maybe having fun with Liam had reminded him. All those years, hanging out together, doing stupid shit. Theo complained about it, but spending time with Liam was all he really ever wanted. And Liam being happy, talking to him, casually touching him... it was hard to ignore how differently Theo felt about him than about anyone else. Liam was his person, always.

“Don’t know. He’s... he’s just different.” Theo admitted. “He always was.”

“And he has... no idea?” Tracy asked, looking unconvinced.

“None.” Theo shrugged. “I think he thinks I hate him.”

“Well, that’s fair.” Josh said with a shrug. “Since you’ve told him you hated him several hundred times.”

Tracy rolled her eyes like Theo couldn’t possibly be any more stupid, and frankly, Theo was pretty sure that he fully deserved that. It was true, he had fought with Liam just to expel some of the overwhelming and unfamiliar feelings he’d been harbouring most of his life. It had been an excuse, he realised. An excuse to interact with Liam, an excuse to have all of Liam’s attention on him, an excuse to try to get a reaction out of him.

It was too little, too late to realise such things, but Theo had been naive, and truly hadn’t realised the extent to which Liam had always been on his mind.

“Yes, I know. I’m aware I’m an idiot.” Theo said flatly. “I’ve been trying to avoid this.” He deadpanned.

“Yeah, we know, Theo. We can tell.” Tracy sighed and sat down beside him, crossing her legs. “I know I’m meant to be your... girlfriend and future Queen of whatever the fuck. But... I really think you should try to see where it goes. The two of you, there’s always been something. And I know you think he hates you but... he clearly doesn’t. I mean, he still shows up here and jokes around with you after everything.” She paused. “I think you should tell him.”

Theo shook his head, “I appreciate your support, but him being a nicer person than I am doesn’t equate to him wanting to date me.”

“I mean, you’re hot, powerful, smart, funny. I’m sure he’s at least thought about it.” Josh cut in.

Theo scoffed. Were they serious? Theo could be all of that and more and it wouldn’t change the fact that Liam could be straight for all any of them knew. At the very least, he wasn’t Theo’s biggest fan.

“Right. I’m hot, powerful, smart, funny, his childhood bully, a man. Which we have no reason to assume he’s into, by the way.” He paused, “Besides, he is also all of those things, but with a nice person added onto the list. You see the problem, yeah? Hot as I am — and I do know I am — I’d still be the one punching above my weight here.”

They both laughed, but it was Tracy who answered. “As it should be— you could use some humbling.”

“Gee, thanks, Trace.” Theo scoffed. “I’m plenty humble.”

“You just called yourself hot, Theo, are you kidding me?”

“In fairness, Josh called me hot first.”

“All I’m saying is, you could do to be the less attractive one in the relationship.” Tracy argued.

Theo’s brows raised. He had just been talking about Liam being nicer than him, when had they collectively agreed Liam was more attractive than him. “Excuse you?”

“Oh, come on, Theo. You’ve seen his eyes.” He was about two seconds off disowning Tracy as a best friend for disloyalty (even if she was right). (And she was).

“I can’t believe this.” Theo grumbled, “I have exactly two people in the world that I consider my proper best friends, my ride or dies... and you go and betray me like this.”

“Oh please.” Josh laughed, “If you wanted a yes man, you’re a good looking young prince. You could find one. We’re your best friends because we’re honest with you.” He paused, “And besides, it wasn’t me who said he was more attractive.”

“I hate you both.” Theo grumbled, though it was obvious that he didn’t.

“You owe me five bucks by the way.” Tracy told Josh, glancing over her shoulder at him. He groaned and lay back on the other lounge, irritated.

“Wait, what for?” Theo asked, a sinking feeling he already knew in his stomach.

“How long it’d take you to admit it.”

Theo’s brows raised. “What were the bets?”

“Josh didn’t think you ever would. I said you’d do it before Liam got engaged.”

Theo was regretting ever having friends right at that moment, but he also hated the reminder of Liam’s betrothal. He’d spent so goddamn long trying to talk his own feelings down in his head, make himself believe he didn’t care, but there was no doing that now. He cared, they knew it, Brett would probably know it soon enough. Tracy might even tell Hayden. There was no more pretending, not even to himself. He was left feeling shitty and vulnerable. How long had he been keeping this secret, even from himself?

“Ugh, he’s  _ betrothed _ !” Theo groaned, flopping back into a face down position. Tracy, who sat beside him, though a bit further down, since he was on the couch and she on the floor, patted his head comfortingly.

“So do something about it.” She said quietly, “Bet your mum would let you.”

He groaned again, more dramatically. "No, Trace. It's just not realistic. And he's not interested and just... there's a million reasons why this is a terrible idea."

"There's also a million reasons why this is a great idea." Tracy said slowly, "Like, for instance, you being happy, Ted." Theo glanced up at her; his friends never really called him by that childhood nickname unless they were trying to get him to seriously listen. He was surprised by it, not having realised they were serious. In truth, he thought this was really all a joke, right up till she made it clear it wasn't. That she was talking to him seriously.

"I can be happy without..." He frowned, "I can be happy without fucking everything up. Let it go, guys. Please. You're not helping me by bringing all this shit up again."

They both went quiet for a minute, and Theo wondered if he was being granted some reprieve from this all. He knew that his friends were trying, that they were coming from a place of kindness and not judgement, but it wasn't really something he was ready to handle. Theo had been a harsh person all his life, a kind of outgoing, banter based person. Comfort and kindness weren't familiar to him, even from his best friends. Their relationship was founded mostly on sarcasm and joking attitudes. Little other than that. This softness, genuine concern, it was somewhat overwhelming for a Theo who was only just now really allowing himself to acknowledge his own feelings.

"Okay." Tracy nodded, "Okay, yeah. If that's what you want, I'll back you." She paused, "But... you know we're going to be spending a lot of time with him, right? And with Hayden? Especially now with this dumb fucker and Brett being a thing."

"Yeah, I know." Theo said with a nod, before glancing over at Josh. "By the way...  _ how _ ? How did you do that? How did you just find someone and like them and start dating? How can it be that  _ simple _ ? It's never been that goddamn simple for me!"

Both of his friends burst out laughing, and Theo couldn't help but join in. The whole thing was ridiculous, but at the very least, he wasn't alone in it. And it was clear neither of them were judging him, which was, honestly, a great comfort in and of itself.

*

"Yes, Tracy, I know."

She glanced at him, swinging their hands, which were intertwined between them, "I won't be mad if you want to flirt with him."

"Yes, Tracy, I know." Theo repeated tiredly, shaking his head.

She turned on him, fixing his tie. "You look good, Theo. Very charming. You can definitely pull this off if you want to."

He sighed again, shaking his head. "Tracy, please. This supportive, nice version of you scares me so much more than your usual terrifying persona."

“I am terrifying, that’s not a persona.”

“Then act like it.”

“I don’t know if you want to challenge me to do that when we’re about to go on a double date with your cupcake.” She raised her brows, an obvious and proud smirk on her face.

“My... cupcake?” Theo repeated with raised brows.

“You fucking heard me.”

“Theodore Albert Edmund Harold Raeken!” A voice called, all smug and singsong.

Theo turned on his heel, unsure whether to get annoyed or simply smile at his cousin. “Hayden Eloise Odette Elizabeth Romero!” He called back, closing the gap between them to pull his cousin into a hug. Liam, who had been walking at her side, was chuckling, but didn’t seem to know what to do with himself.

“Well, now I feel left out, shall we just make up middle names for each other?” He heard Tracy asking Liam, all charm and sparkle, as she tended to be at these events. Terrifying.

“Absolutely.” Liam agreed just as brightly, and Theo pulled back from the hug to watch their amusing interaction. “I declare you Tracy Olga Bertha Prudence Stewart.”

Tracy giggled, and Theo got the sense it was a genuine reaction, which was, actually, unusual for her. Of course she’d be charmed by him too.

“It’s so good to see you again, Liam Elmo Earl Farquad Dunbar.” The two of them hugged very dramatically and Theo could think of nothing better to do than to smile at them both and hope the smile didn’t give him away for how the whole interaction had made his heart race.

His friends, his best friends, got along so well with Liam, and that only made this whole thing that much harder to deal with.

"Well, that seems like a match made in heaven." Hayden whispered to Theo as the two watched Liam and Tracy sarcastically and dramatically curtsey at each other multiple times.

"Or hell." Theo grumbled back, but laughed nonetheless.

"They sort of scare me together." Hayden confessed, and Theo laughed, but honestly, the same was sort of true of him. Tracy was sort of a loose cannon at the best of times, but now she knew something about Theo. Something Theo hadn't really let anyone else in on, and he knew she had both the penchant and the opportunity to do something to try to force Theo to act on it.

It was his own stupid fault for admitting his feelings to her, but he knew better to expect her to leave it alone. Even if she didn't outright tell Liam (and it was terrifying that that was even an  _ if _ ) she was likely to do something about it. Whether it was try to force them to spend more time together or subtly drop hints about Theo and Liam and all the bullshit information he had willingly given to her -- like an absolute moron.

"This is our future," Hayden said, blinking at the two in front of them, watching as Liam and Tracy somehow worked their way into some kind of competition over who could bow lowest. Theo stared and he wondered, not for the first time, how he'd ever denied it. How he had ever looked at this absolute idiot of a boy and not known he was completely gone. Not known that the kid was everything to him. Theo was grumpy and sometimes biting in his wit, but Liam was bright and clever and kind and Theo just didn't deserve it. Because yes, this was his future. His future of watching the person he loved be someone he could never have. And, what was perhaps far worse, be someone who would never want him back.

Theo snorted, nodding his head. "Yeah, it really is." He paused, "At least maybe they'll get their weirdness out on each other?"

"Nah, his weirdness is my favourite thing about him." Hayden said with a casual shrug and Theo swallowed. He felt like saying  _ me too _ , but knew he couldn't.

"So, what's the plan today, kids?" Tracy interrupted, an arm slung casually around Liam's shoulder, her eyes fixed on Theo in a sort of challenging way. But Tracy loved him, he knew that, and he had to hope that she wouldn't actually, literally, sabotage him.

"I believe we're supposed to go to some state lunch." Liam answered with a frown. "It's uh, all political figures and celebrities from what I hear. Some thing we have to be at. I guess people thought it'd be a good idea if the four of us were seen together. Like a, uh, double date...? Or something." Liam looked like he was suppressing a wince, and boy, did Theo understand. This whole thing made him wish he were smarter. Or... straighter, though really, he knew that was a no-go. Even if he wanted to be straight (he didn't, really) there was no point wishing away something so fundamental about him. And besides, loathe though he was to admit it, he didn't actually want to give up the part of him that loved Liam. He had loved Liam since before he was even aware of it, and it felt like some built in, foundational part of him.

"Ugh." Theo rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what sort of thing it would be. Some lunch in a fancy garden, surrounded by people who were waiting for the four of them to mess up. Liam and Theo would be the ones really under the spotlight, because of their respective positions, but Tracy and Hayden wouldn't be immune. They were the future 'consorts' of their kingdoms (or whatever) and people were always looking for gossip. Which was why Theo got so annoyed when Tracy kept on suggesting that Theo ought to flirt with Liam. As if that wasn't a recipe for disaster. At the very least, Theo just hoped there was a quiet place for him to hide when things, inevitably, got overwhelming. He was good at acting. Good at putting on that fake, charming smile, good at pretending to be the perfect heir he wasn't, but he didn't  _ enjoy  _ doing it.

Theo jumped when Liam patted him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine, big boy, it's just one lunch."

Tracy shot him a look, and Theo glared back at her, trying to keep his face as passive and unresponsive as possible, but failing somewhat.

Tracy grabbed hold of Hayden's hand, pulling her off towards the spot the group of them were headed towards. Theo knew what she was doing, but he was hoping this would be enough. This seemed like enough to Theo, personally, who was not intending to get stuck alone with Liam for the day. He should've known Tracy wouldn't just leave well enough alone. She never did.

"So." Liam began, seemingly completely unaware of Theo's mounting crisis. It was easier to ignore before he'd admitted it out loud. Now that it had been said, there was sort of no going back on it being said. "Why do you hate these functions so much anyway? Everyone here loves you...? Isn't it sort of the dream? You're perpetually the guest of honour?"

Theo scoffed, "Hasn't anyone ever told you not to bullshit a bullshitter?" He asked, "You're telling me you absolutely  _ love  _ going to every single one of these functions and pretending not to give a shit how... weird and fake everyone is at you because of your title? You're telling me you always love dressing up and acting serious because a whole country is relying on you to be perfect?" He shook his head, "Bullshit."

Liam flashed him a grin, and Theo did his best to look annoyed. "Simmer down. I just... I don't know, you've always been pretty outgoing and cocky. I thought you would like all eyes on you. Being special and all that."

Theo couldn't help but laugh at that. It was sort of true. Theo always had been a little bit of a spotlight grabber. But he was a child then, and frankly, he'd been looking for reassurance in all the wrong places. Looking to support his weird, mixed inferiority/superiority complex. "Okay, fair." He nodded, "But no. I mean, there's no meaning in people liking you when they don't even know you, right? Those people don't know a thing about me, other than my title and my face."

Liam blinked, but then nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Theo couldn't help the little self deprecating comments that came next. It just slipped out, without planning or permission. "I mean, you know me better than almost anyone and you hate me."

Liam rolled his eyes, "You know I don't hate you."

Theo just raised his brows at the other boy, and he felt sort of guilty, because if he was honest, he was hoping for that validation. For some confirmation that despite his bullshit, Liam didn't hate him. That he still had some chance of at least being friends with him if he couldn't possibly have him in any other way. And sure, Theo still kinda hated Liam sometimes, but he'd figured out that that hate came from something far worse. The boy was an idiot. Annoying and overzealous and loud and stupidly clumsy at times. And yet...

"I do?" Theo asked, glancing up at the other boy with slightly narrowed eyes. Validation seeking. Fully wanting reassurance that Liam didn't hate him, that he still had a shot at friendship at least. It was stupid, and he felt self-conscious doing it, but for all his self-awareness, he just couldn't stop it from slipping out.

Liam scoffed in response, like Theo was being annoying, but less in an actual angry way and more in a... normal way. Like they were friends who bickered. Liam had told him it would be hard to win back friendship with him, but Theo wondered if Liam was too nice for his own good. "Well, you fuckin' should, man. What's it been... fifteen years of me putting up with your shit?"

Theo nodded, "To be fair, many of those years you didn't have a choice."

"You're absolutely right," Liam nodded, "But I'm not the one who cut contact."

Theo's stomach lurched. It was true. It had seemed like the best idea at the time. Frankly, Theo still sort of stood by the choice. Getting closer did neither of them any good, especially him. He didn't deign to imagine that Liam felt the same way, but Theo still wasn't good for him. He was an acquaintance Liam had no say over. "Right." He nodded.

"Relax." Liam said quickly. "It's... fine. I'm not pissed anymore. Like, y'still kinda suck, and you should absolutely have to make it up to me, because lets be honest, you have so much shit to make up to me... but you know, we're good. We're fine." He reassured. Instantly, Theo felt a fire begin to burn in his chest. Anger. He was angry. He had no right to be. Liam was being kind to him. Liam was being far kinder than he deserved. And frankly, that was what was making Theo so angry.

It was irrational, and stupid, and immature, but that was Theo. He tried to be better, tried to be more mature, but what the fuck? Why would Liam forgive him so quickly and easily?

"Why do you do that?" He snapped, and Liam looked up at him like Theo had hit him or something.

"What? I said something nice to you." Liam defended, obviously confused as to why Theo had snapped out of nowhere.

"Yeah, exactly." He raised his brows at Liam, "Why the fuck are you being nice to me? I have given you every reason again and again not to be nice to me, and you keep doing it. Do you let everyone treat you like this?"

Liam just blinked at him. "Are you fucking kidding? Are you... angry at me for being nice to you? Because you're worried I'm too nice to people? Is that... serious?"

Theo frowned right back at him, knowing full well he was being an asshole about this. The problem was, it was just a reminder. Liam was obviously too good for him. He was nicer than him, according to Tracy; better looking than him. And it only frustrated him because... how the hell was he ever going to get over it?

When Theo didn't answer right away, Liam shoved his shoulder. "Shut up, you idiot." He sounded like he was sort of amused though, and Theo didn't really get that either. "You know, you're not fifteen years old anymore. Lashing out because you feel guilty isn't cute."

Theo glanced up at Liam, taking a moment to question whether or not that was the truth. Was he lashing out out of guilt? He knew as soon as Liam said it that it was the truth. The idea that he'd been so shitty and Liam still being kind had only elevated his own guilt, and, not knowing what to do with that, he'd tried to find a way to flip it. It was stupid, and somehow it felt even more stupid when Liam so easily called it out.

"I'm a fucking idiot." Theo said softly, and Liam nodded at him, flashing a smile. 

"And to answer your question. Yes, I am that nice to people." He flashed a smirk in Theo's direction, and Theo felt something in his stomach twist. "I had to be overly nice to make up for your bullshit."

"Yeah." Theo nodded, letting slip a little smile. It was only making it worse. Liam was too much more mature than him (at least in some ways) and it was only making Theo feel more charmed by him. The defensive edge he'd been wearing had quickly fallen off, leaving Theo feeling more vulnerable and, frighteningly, a little more open to spending time with Liam.

"Stop being a dick, man." Liam said with a little smile, looking up at Theo. Theo tried not to look at him, staring straight ahead, though he could feel Liam's eyes on him. After cutting him off for so many years, how was it actually getting worse now? How was Liam getting to him more than he had when they were younger? "I don't know why you're so weird about being friends with me, but I'm not trying to like... usurp your throne or anything. And I know it's weird that I'm like... with your cousin now, but... that's even more reason for us to try to get along. Right?"

Theo glanced at him, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, right. Hey, do you wanna say hi to everyone and then escape into the gardens?" He asked. It was a stupid idea, to be alone together after everything else that was going on, but maybe Theo just wasn't very smart when it came to Liam. Maybe he was beginning to make his peace with that.

"Hell, yeah. Are we bringing the other two?"

"Nah." Theo said casually, "Let them bond. They're good together."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo wander off alone at a garden party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait between chapters guys! Hopefully you're still enjoying where this is going! 
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave me any/all feedback or come yell at me on tumblr at @songbvrd.

Liam really had no interest in any of these events. It would be nice to, obviously, to want to be here or have any interest at all in charming the nobles of the Lady he was expected to marry, but honestly, he'd much rather have run off into the gardens with Theo.

It was a relatively uncomfortable realisation-- he and Theo had only been sort of, begrudging friends for five seconds, and Theo had already been weird about everything, and yet, Liam found that that was still a far more interesting place to be than at this bullshit garden party.

He was dying to take off his suit, dying to lay around being who he actually was, rather than floating around pretending to care about all of this. It would be fine if it was a legitimate political thing, Liam did care about that, but it wasn't. It was just niceties and small talk and overly fancy champagne.

What he found, in the hour he and Theo had agreed to spend here before they disappeared behind the garden hedges and went exploring, was that people seemed far more interested in finding out gossip about the supposed 'childhood best friends'. Apparently it had been as revered a tradition in Theo's country as it had been in Liam's own, and Liam wondered how they would all feel if they knew Theo and Liam had spent most of those years absolutely loathing each other.

"You and Lady Hayden make a beautiful couple, your Highness." A woman told him with a knowing grin. She was a political figure, he thought. A minister, maybe? "Does this mean you'll be spending more time here with us?"

Liam nodded, pretending to be far more interested in it all than he was. "Thank you." He paused at the question, "Most likely. Although, it's well known that I enjoy spending time here regardless." He smiled genially, and wondered if she would call him on the four year period where he didn't travel.

"Yes." She nodded, "The whole Kingdom waited with baited breath every year for your visit to Prince Theo."

Liam smiled, and though he was good at making smiles look real, it felt bitter in his own mouth. How could two children be so interesting? "I'm sure we waited with at least as much impatience." He joked, "It was always hard being a whole ocean away from your best friend growing up." It was a good thing Liam was a good liar, because he'd been calling Theo his best friend through his teeth since he was a child.

She grinned at him, and he could tell she was the sort of person who had been invested for a long time. It was nice, he tried to tell himself. They cared and that was nice. But it still felt... a little weird. Especially when he and Theo hadn't much liked each other. "And now you're going to be family." She told him.

Liam had to physically stop himself from wincing at that. Oh no. He didn't immediately know why, but the thought made him feel a bit ill.

Prince Theo, his least favourite forced-best-friend growing up was not his relative. And just because he was being forced to pretend to fall for Hayden (did anyone really believe they had any choice in it?) that didn't change that. He couldn't place what was wrong with it, but he knew something was wrong.

He just smiled, relieved when he felt an arm sling around his shoulder, someone breaking the awkwardness of the moment and Liam's general unwillingness to pretend to have liked the thought of that.

"Hello, Lara," Theo said, his grin beaming and genuine (or at least, seeming to be). "Would you mind terribly if I stole my friend here for just a moment?"

Liam had never been so relieved to have Theo so close to him, usually he would be wincing and protecting any vulnerable parts of his body.

"Oh, not at all." She grinned, her smile sort of conspiratorial, "Just promise to each save me a dance later this afternoon."

Liam didn't have to answer, because Theo's masterful management of the situation was doing the work for him. "Of course, Lara. Wouldn't dream of dancing with anyone else." He was charming, Liam thought. He had rarely seen Theo trying to be charming, rarely seen him in his full political and noble habitat, as they usually tended to do exactly what they were doing now. Run away. Only usually, they weren't so amenable with each other about it. It wasn't a planned adventure.

After a moment, Theo, still with his arm slung casually around Liam's shoulder, turned the two of them away and began walking. The weirdest part to Liam was how unopposed he was to everything that was going on.

"How are you doing with all that?" Theo asked, and his intense eye contact made Liam have to avert his eyes back to the ground, a little confused.

He coughed awkwardly, "With all what?"

"You know, the... you're basically selling yourself to our people." He grinned, obviously amused by it all. "I mean, they all love you, but how does it feel to basically be a noble Gigolo?"

Liam snorted, shaking his head, "Please. If anything, I'm a stripper. I'm only selling the idea of me."

They were both laughing then, and Liam thought it was weird how easily Theo had managed to befriend him again. He'd made a big thing of saying Theo would have to earn it, and he'd meant that, at the time at least, but it was proving harder to be unforgiving about things than he thought. Liam never was much good at holding grudges, he was too soft.

"Where are we going anyway?" Liam asked, "I've never been here before."

"Oh, well, see." Theo began, obviously amused, "I know these gardens well. And there's something I've always wanted to do when no one else was around. Come."

In a moment, Theo's arm had fallen from around Liam, but before Liam could think too much about it, Theo had grabbed his hand, yanked him down around a tall hedge and into a vast, well-maintained, blooming garden. Then Theo was running and Liam had no choice but to run after him, being pulled by the hand.

"Theo, where are we going?" He called after him, as Theo dragged him down further from the party. He wasn't worried, exactly, but he was a little skeptical, part of him wondering if this was some kind of prank, some way for Theo to fuck with him. Not that Liam really knew what he'd done wrong to ever deserve that, but it had certainly happened before. More so when they were children. Theo was a grown man now, and he had to hope he'd grown out of it all. That he was being genuine.

“Relax, I’m not gonna murder you,” Theo answered with a laugh.

“Believe it or not, that makes me more suspicious that you’re going to murder me.” Liam bit back, nonetheless running behind him.

When Theo pulled to a stop, Liam let out a little whistle.

The maze that stood before him was massive, tall and wide, made of hedges so green he thought they must be fake in some way, or spray painted. He supposed things like this were fancy enough that they could just throw money on it, but the thing was gorgeous. Flowering and perfectly cut, and Liam just threw Theo a look. Was he really suggesting they go get themselves lost in a maze rather than doing the job that they were supposed to be doing here. Liam glanced over his shoulders in the direction of the party they had skipped out on, and then back at the maze.

"You're kidding?" He asked, amused.

He blinked at Theo, who just grinned back at him, and he knew right then and there that Theo wasn't grinned. "I never get to do this shit. I have to be Princely, y'know?" He asked. "But no one's here, and I've always wanted to do this." His eyes were locked on Liam's face, and Liam felt... fidgety. Like he was under a microscope. He couldn't place what had set his teeth on edge. "First one to get to the middle wins."

Liam took a deep sigh, rolling his eyes at him, "Fine. Fine. But if I die in here, I want it to be known that you basically murdered me. Also, no cheating."

Theo blinked at him, "How do you cheat at a maze?"

Liam scoffed, "Is that a joke? You just put your hand on the left and keep walking till you come out the other side. It'll always lead you out of the maze."

"What? That's not a thing."

Liam nodded, "Yeah, it is. Think about it."

Theo just glared at him for a moment, as if Liam was the most annoying thing he'd ever seen in his life, and then took off running into the maze, giving him a significant headstart in the time Liam stood there staring at him and wondering how he had the misfortune of winding up here.

Liam ran after him, pretty sure that he was faster, but also pretty sure he was going to be worse at this. Theo seemed to be better than him at everything, and while it was infuriating, it also amped Liam's already heightened sense of competitiveness up further.

He ran as hard as he could, skidding into hedges and hurting his hands on the sticks more than once. He didn't care. He could worry about the palms of his hand and the dirt on his suit when he got out. At one point, he nearly fell over his own feet bc he tried to take his jacket off while he ran. He finally got the jacket off and his sleeves hiked up, but he had the worst feeling Theo would beat him while he was wasting time with this. It was cold out, and Liam knew he'd probably regret abandoning the jacket, but running had made him hot, and his determination to win had made him ignore his body screaming at him to calm down.

By the time Liam was beginning to see the end in sight, he was sure he could hear Theo's footsteps thumping as he ran, leaving Liam feeling desperate and far more competitive. He could see it in the distance, the fountain that marked the middle of the maze, and he ran faster, pushed himself harder, limbs pumping as he ignored his leg muscles telling him to stop.

By the time he skidded into the middle, Theo was pulling up beside him.

They stared at each other.

"I got here first!" They yelled over each other, both red faced and visibly infuriated.

"No you didn't-"

"I literally was here when you showed up-"

"I put my hand on the fountain while you were still skidding-"

"I won!"

"Oh my god, Theo. Bullshit, you won. You are literally the sorest loser in the entire world!"

"Most sore." Theo corrected with a smirk and Liam moved forward, shoving him roughly against the chest. He dropped his jacket on the ground, totally fixated on his annoyance with Theo. A lot of it was how tired he was, and really, it didn't matter that much who won, but he couldn't let it go. He'd spent literally years competing with Theo. Having Theo constantly cutting him out of things. Embarrassing him. Ignoring him. Just once, he wanted Theo to admit that he won. That he was better at something.

“Can’t you ever just deal with being worse at anything? You don’t have to win fucking everything Theo, you could just be nice for once!”

Liam couldn’t remember snapping like this since he was a child, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d spent his whole life being nicer than he needed to be. His whole life being the bigger person, and forgiving and forgetting, because it was the nice thing to do. And while, sure, he’d gotten his own back on Theo every year that he came, it was never him who started it. And when push came to shove and it was all boiled down— he had only ever wanted Theo to like him.

“I don’t win everything!” Theo snapped back, and suddenly there was fire in his eyes too, and Liam should’ve backed off, should’ve been the one to calm down, but he just couldn’t. Adrenaline pumped in his veins and his calves and thighs hurt and he was at Theo’s stupid function, in Theo’s stupid maze, playing Theo’s stupid game, rather than being back at the party with the girl he had to spend the rest of his life with. The girl who was actually nice to him. “What the hell’s gotten into you, Dunbar, it’s just a friendly race!”

“Ugh, it’s just that this is the same shit all over again! I convince myself this time with you is going to be different and then you do something to piss me off and be a shit all over again and I don’t understand why! What the fuck did I ever do to you, Raeken? Why have you always acted like I wasn’t good enough to be your friend? Or even to be around you? You—you tortured me for like, a fucking decade and then ignored me for nearly half a decade and then... and then you turn up saying you wanna earn my friendship? What’s the joke, Theo, because I don’t get it!”

Theo just stared down at him. His face was all red and his eyes were wide. He looked, weirdly, like Liam had hit him.

Maybe Theo hadn’t deserved that. Maybe today really had just been a fun game, and they really had just arrived at the same time. But Liam had spent years trying to be the bigger person. He’d spent so long trying to pretend none of it bothered him. The truth, at the end of the day, was that it still bothered him. He still didn’t get what he had done to be rejected so early and so often in their friendship, and even when Theo seemed genuine, even when Liam wanted to believe him, some small part of him still felt that it must all be a lie. That there was some humiliation, some prank at the end of this.

He just stared, waiting for Theo to snap back. Waiting for the anger, waiting for the fight. But Theo just kept on looking down at him. His chest heaved and Liam took the moment to study him, perhaps unconsciously. His eyes seemed particularly green against the angry, exhausted flush of his cheeks, and his own jacket had been discarded, his sleeves rolled up. His brows were fixed downward, like an angry cartoon character, and his lips were smushed into a hard, contemplative line. His arms hung loose at his sides, as though he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself. He realised awkwardly that they mirrored each other, standing in the same awkward, stilted way, eyes locked on each other.

“There’s no joke, Dunbar.” He finally answered. “I was a shitty, selfish kid and maybe I’m just a shitty, selfish adult too. But I really wasn’t trying to be a dick with this one.” He argued, “I just thought we were messing around I didn’t realise I would—“ He paused, inhaling sharply, “I didn’t realise I’d hurt your feelings, and I’m sorry I did.”

Liam waited. He waited for a punchline or a hint of mockery, or any sign something was about to go wrong. There was nothing. Theo didn’t look mad anymore, he actually looked... upset. Liam didn’t understand. He felt like he was missing something.

There was a stretch of silence before Theo said, “I’m not doing so hot at this proving I can be a good friend thing, huh?”

Liam shrugged, “Surprisingly not as bad as I thought.” He paused, eyes running over Theo for a moment. It seemed sudden, the realisation of how close they were. He could’ve sworn only moments before there was a foot between them, now they were a feather away from being chest to chest.

Liam should move back. Liam should leave this situation. Anyone could see them, and they were just staring at each other. They were both breathing heavy, but Liam wasn’t out of breath from running anymore. He should move. He should go back to the party. To Hayden and Tracy, and to Lara and the dances they’d promised her. To real life, outside the borderline picturesque maze. They were protected by walls, it was true, but Liam knew better than anyone how publicity found them.

He shouldn’t be thinking about publicity at all. What was he so afraid of? Nothing was happening. They were just standing there. Just looking at each other. Childhood rivals and friends looked at each other sometimes, didn’t they? Especially when they were caught in an awkward limbo of fighting and acknowledging the elephant in the room. Liam felt sort of pathetic, pathetic for letting on that he cared, pathetic for acknowledging that he kept trying to be friends with Theo. Kept hoping things would be different somehow.

Hours seemed to have passed where they just looked at each other before Theo spoke. “I never thought you weren’t good enough.”

Liam simply raised his brows, acutely aware that neither had moved further away.

“I thought you were better. That’s why I hated you.” Theo said quietly, “Because I thought you were better than me, and it drove me crazy. And the nicer you were, the more crazy it drove me, because... I just wasn’t.”

Liam sighed, “I just wanted you to like me.”

Another long silence, and Liam watched, feeling weirdly out of his depth, as Theo’s green eyes raked lower, landing pointedly on his lips. It was hard to ignore, and not only because the movement made his heart race. He didn’t understand. Couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Theo was handsome. Obviously. Objectively. He was like a weird, perfect lab baby that had popped out muscular and charming. Liam had known him all his life and he was sort of certain Theo had never had a physically awkward stage. He’d had bad hair cuts or whatever, but he’d always been a walking ken doll. The physical embodiment of a prince.

But that had always been an objective truth.

This moment was far from objective. It wasn’t the objective reality of knowing how others saw him. It was something else entirely. The growing, haunting, consuming feeling that it wasn’t just friendship that drew him to Theo. That it never had been. That Theo was beautiful in a way he hadn’t seen before. That even with his hair damp from sweat, and his face still a little red, and his chest heaving, Liam couldn’t tear his eyes away. He felt as though his heart need only beat a little faster for it to be so loud and so present that Theo might feel it, as though his heart were trying to push its way closer to Theo.

Liam should move. There was Hayden and platonic or not, they would be wed. It would be humiliating for her were anyone to see him those close to Theo.

Though, to anyone who wasn’t in this moment, it might look totally normal. They were a little close, maybe, but they were only standing and talking. It was the pounding and fluttering inside Liam’s chest that threatened to give him away, and he wondered if Theo was somehow aware of it.

But it was under his skin, like an itch. Like fire in his veins. Theo. Aggressive and unfriendly and mean though he could be, Theo was... Theo. He was funny and clever and charming and well spoken. His people loved him. Liam should hate him. Liam tried to hate him.

Liam couldn’t hate him.

“Maybe we should go...” Liam began.

Theo was still staring into his eyes, that same gaze that felt like it was searing his skin, that made his heart feel like a hummingbird.

“Do you want to go?”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo and Liam are still at the fountain, and Liam hasn't answered his question yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one guys, I got a little stumped on muse to write, but I'm back into it now! Some big things going on in this chapter, hope you enjoy!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave any/all feedback or come yell at me on my tumblr @songbvrd.

Theo was being stupid. He was being bold, but he was being stupid and bold. He had no right to ask Liam that. He had no right to be flirting with Liam, and there was no mistaking it, that was what he was doing.

But Liam was someone that Theo had felt things for for a long time now-- someone he'd genuinely cared about. Theo might be bad at his feelings, but he knew they were there. He knew that this was coming from years of avoiding dealing with those feelings.

He thought helplessly about growing up with him. What it had been like. How many years he'd spent jealous when Liam spent more time with anyone else, but pinning it on being annoyed because Liam generally managed to annoy him.

He thought about how many years Liam had been able to talk him into playing any game at all, and how Liam almost always won anything intellectual they tried to play, despite Theo being just as smart and generally getting better grades in his schooling. He always wondered if part of it was his total inability to focus in Liam's presence. He had always incited so much anger and discontent in Theo, but it was about the most stupid stereotype he could've ever lived up to. Hating the boy he was in love with for having the audacity to exist. And, god forbid, in Theo's case, when his life was mapped out, to be male.

Not that it had ever been Liam's fault. Oh no, it was never Liam's fault that Theo was so broken; he had always been far nicer than Theo, and perhaps that had been part of the problem. Because how was he meant to hate Liam and get over it when Liam was so much nicer than him? So much better than him?

It was childish, and petty, but perhaps so was Theo.

He could remember when he'd realised it. At that stupid ball. He'd known on some level, he was sure. Josh was always giving him shit about it.

He wanted to pull his phone out and text Josh. What the hell would he even say? 'Hey man, I'm a total fucking moron, I just ditched a party with Liam, raced him into the middle of a maze and I think I just accidentally propositioned him.' It about summed it up, but he was pretty sure Josh would actually murder him for it.

Liam still hadn't answered, and they were still standing there, chest to chest, barely an inch or two from actually touching. It was too close. There was no mistaking what had happened here, at least not in Theo's eyes. And it was his fault. He was trying to be genuine. He was trying to apologise. He was trying to act like friends-- play games together and bond over something other than their joint childhoods. He hadn't meant to ignite Liam's anger and he hadn't meant for Liam to draw that apology out of him. That apology that felt (to Theo, at least) like it had given too much away.

And then he had looked at Liam's lips, because he was an idiot, and a weak, weak man.

And Liam noticed, because how the hell could he not, when Theo was being so damn conspicuous about it?

He expected Liam to shove him away. To run off. He had said he should go, but he hadn't said he wanted to. He hadn't moved. He was still breathing heavily, even though they'd both had time to calm down already.

Theo was too.

Liam still hadn't answered, and Theo didn't know what to do now.

It felt like a moment of pure, untamed anticipation. One second where everything could change one way or the other.

Then he saw Liam swallow, and the tension broke. Theo felt like he could move again, but only in one direction. Barely thinking about it, his hands were on either of Liam's upper arms, and in a moment, he was kissing Liam.

He felt as though he should be making note of every moment of this, like he should be registering every feeling, every thought, but nothing came to his mind. Instead, he felt Liam hesitate for a moment, before kissing him back. He felt Liam's hands at his hips and for a moment, everything in the world seemed a little brighter. A little better.

But then Liam was pulling back, looking up at him with wide, questioning eyes and Theo felt panic run through him. What the fuck had he just done?

"Theo...?" Liam began, sounding guarded and nervous. Confused. Questioning. Theo wished the ground would open up and eat him. So many mistakes. He'd made so many mistakes.

"Nope." Theo said quickly, taking a few steps backwards, before stumbling a little bit on uneven grass.

Liam pursued, brows furrowed, "We need to talk about what just happened."

" _ Nope _ ." Theo repeated, shaking his head as Liam seemed to pursue him around the fountain.

Liam followed, "Theo," He repeated, sounding grumpy, and when he grabbed Theo's arm too roughly, Theo felt himself wobble, and had a horrible feeling he knew what was about to happen.

The water was freezing, and since neither was wearing their jacket anymore, they had no protection against the sudden wave of icy water they were plunged into. Theo thought if it was even a little colder, it'd likely be frozen solid. As it was, it almost felt sludge-y, like it wasn't quite frozen, but it was on its way.

Immediately, Theo felt the air leave his lungs, knocked out of him.

He tried to jump back out, but from the angle he was at, he just wound up bumping his head on the stupid naked baby statue in the middle.

He knew he'd pulled Liam in with him, because Liam had been gripping his upper arm and Theo had felt it go down with him.

Stupid  _ fucking  _ fountain, with its stupid fucking baby statue.

Stupid  _ fucking  _ party, why did they have to have so many anyway?

Stupid  _ fucking  _ Liam, grabbing onto him when they were so close to a fountain, trying to grab him even though he was  _ clearly  _ trying to run away to Cuba and change his name so he didn't have to deal with this anymore.

Stupid fucking  _ him _ , kissing Liam when they were completely tied up, with absolutely no possibility of ever being able to actually be together, even if they wanted to.

And honestly, Theo didn't want to know if Liam wanted to. It was bad enough knowing he wanted to and couldn't, he thought it might be suffocating to know Liam wanted it to. Or heartbreaking to know he didn't. Theo wasn't sure which was worse.

He finally pulled himself to his knees, and then to his feet, and Liam was already half out of the fountain, one foot on the grass when he did.

They were both drenched, socks to hair, both shivering. Theo immediately noticed that Liam's lips had turned blue. This was all his own stupid fault and he knew it. He shouldn't've dragged Liam here. He shouldn't have raced him. He shouldn't have apologised like he had. He shouldn't have gotten so close to Liam. He shouldn't have kissed Liam. He definitely shouldn't have kissed Liam.

"Dumbass, idiot, gremlin, butthead..." Liam was muttering under his breath, and Theo was pretty sure all of those were directed at him. Which, frankly, was probably fairly justified.

Theo pulled himself out of the fountain, his suit dripping. The jackets had thankfully survived, but the jackets weren't going to hide the fact that they were both  _ soaking  _ wet in the middle of winter, after having disappeared alone from a party. All of this was his fault, and he had no idea how he would justify any of it.

"Can we talk about this now?" Liam's voice was really more of a growl than a question, but Theo was busy panicking about everything else to panic about Liam potentially murdering him on the spot. Honestly, that might be preferable at this point.

"God, no." Theo said quickly, "Nothing to talk about."

" _ Nothing to talk about? _ " Liam repeated incredulously.

"Nothing to talk about." Theo nodded, grabbing his jacket and starting off purposefully back towards the party.

Liam, too stubborn for his own good (or really, too stubborn for Theo's) followed along after him, making noises of increased annoyance. "Theo, we need to at least figure out what the hell we're going to say we were doing out here?"

Actually, that was a point. Theo let Liam catch up to him, shrugging his jacket onto his shoulders. "Um, we just tell the truth. We were racing around the maze, because we're young men and we do shit like that or whatever the press will make it into. You know, that best friends thing they've been running since we were like six. And then, y'know, we tripped."

Liam blinked up at him, still shivering when he spoke. "And that's the truth?" He asked.

Theo just nodded, as if that much was obvious.

Of course, that was far from all that had happened, but how did he address this? Yeah, I know I was the worst our entire childhoods, but I'm pretty sure it's actually because I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember and just didn't understand? Absolutely not. Easier to pretend it didn't happen. Easier to brush it off completely.

"Okay, fine." Liam said with a nod, before muttering a final "Asshole" and walking the rest of the way in total silence.

When they got back to the party, people took notice. It was hard not to. The two were still soaked (there was no way the frozen sun would be drying their clothes any time soon) and not speaking much to each other.

It was Hayden who first approached them, looking between the two of them with wide eyes and furrowed brows. "What the fuck? Please don't tell me the two of you idiots have had another fight."

It wasn't the correct assumption, but it was a very fair one, and Theo just cleared his throat. "We fell." He said, polite enough that it would probably only confirm to her that they had been fighting. Which, really, they sort of had, just not the way she was thinking.

Liam said nothing by his side, his eyes staring off into the distance. Hayden frowned, and took one of Liam's hands. "Are you alright?" She asked him, and Theo felt a rush of something he couldn't put an immediate name to. His first thought was jealousy, but it wasn't that exactly. That was too simple an explanation. He didn't resent Hayden, it wasn't her choice anymore than it was Liam's or his. No, it was...  _ longing _ . Because she was allowed to show concern for him. Allowed to grab his hand like that. Allowed to have all the things he'd spent years denying he wanted anyway.

Liam nodded slowly, "Yeah, I'm fine. Probably a few bruises, but nothing I can't handle." He said, and Theo could hear the smile in his voice, though he didn't look at him.

Theo looked around for Tracy, but when he couldn't immediately see her, he simply swallowed and stepped away from Liam and Hayden, waiting on his best friend to show her face. He was thankful, not for the first time, that his phone had been in his jacket pocket, because it hit him when he heard it vibrate that it could've been dead right now.

He pulled his phone out, figuring he'd at least have something to hide behind.

**Joshikins to Golden Trio** : Did you seriously return to the party with Liam soaking wet?????????

**Bad Bitch to Golden Trio** : Can confirm. I just saw it happen.

**King Simp to Golden Trio** : i'm sorry, where the fuck are you tracy???? i've been looking for you????

**Bad Bitch to Golden Trio** : I was stuck in a conversation, I'm coming now. I was just... giving you a second to... ?????????? deal with this?

**Joshikins to Golden Trio** : Hello yes i need more information pronto

**King Simp to Golden Trio** : oh absolutely not. how did you even find out?

**Joshikins to Golden Trio** : Hello? Twitter? Did you forget you're a prince dude? There are photos and you're both already trending

**King Simp to Golden Trio** : oh fuck me gently with a chainsaw

Theo was startled from what he was doing when Tracy appeared at his side, a bright smile on her face, like this was the funniest thing that had ever happened to her.

"Hi." She said, a coy tone to her voice. "I have  _ so  _ many questions, Theodore. So many."

"I'm not talking about this here. You know we have to leave. We're both going to get sick." As it was, his teeth chattered.

"I've already called the driver." Tracy said, as if he was stupid for not realising this. "He'll be here any minute. The four of us have gotta go back. I think he's planning to drop Liam off at his hotel, I'm not sure if Hayden will be going with him, but probably. Then you and I will go back to the castle where Josh will undoubtedly be waiting to yell at you until you tell us this entire story."

"What if I refuse to tell this entire story?" Theo asked.

She snorted, "Bold of you to assume you could resist one of us, let alone both." She paused, "Are you two not talking now?" She asked. Theo just shrugged in response, not knowing what the hell he was meant to say to that in public.

As fate would have it, Tracy was right. Liam and Hayden went to Liam's hotel, and Theo tried not to care about that.

By the time he got back to the Castle, he felt like his hands were about to fall off, so he ran right to the shower, and got dressed into sweats, forcing himself not to think about the fountain. About the kiss. If he thought about it, he'd never stop, and as it was, he almost certainly going to have to tell Tracy and Josh about it. That was going to suck, maybe more than the actual rejection of the thing, the way Liam had pulled away, the way he'd look at Theo like he distrusted him directly after. It was fair, but it had seemed obvious what it meant. Now he just wondered if he'd been too hasty.

They were going to kill him. He could feel it in his bones. They would never let him hear the end of this.

By the time he got out, they were both laying in his bed, arguing about whether the photos looked staged or not, Josh's phone held up for them to look at. Theo just cleared his throat.

They both immediately sat up, and Josh looked like he wanted to go grab his popcorn.

Theo sighed deeply, knowing that resistance was futile, knowing it would be easier to get it over with.

"I'm an absolute, complete idiot, I have clearly never seen a brain-cell before in my life, and I need to be put out of my misery." He began.

Tracy giggled, and it was obvious they were both sort of enjoying his pain a little. Probably because they knew it couldn't really be that bad. Not if Theo was being overdramatic rather than shutting down about it.

"Yes, continue. Please. You have the fans on the edges of their seats." Josh told him, looking like he was about to start bouncing with anticipation.

"I kissed him. You could knock on my forehead and find it completely hollow. I fucking kissed him."

Theo didn't know what reaction he was expecting, he wasn't sure whether he imagined that they would scream, or throw things at him, but the thing he wasn't expecting was total silence. Whatever they had been expecting, it was obvious that this wasn't it.

When no one spoke again, Theo continued. "We ran through that stupid maze in a race, and we got into a fight because Liam started saying how selfish and competitive I am-" They both nodded like they agreed with Liam, and Theo only sighed, "- and then we were just... really close to each other. He said he should go and I, a buffoon, asked if he wanted to go. He didn't move or say anything else, so I just... did it." He admitted. "And then he pulled away and I tried to run off like an imbecile and he tried to grab me to get me to stop and we both fell into the stupid fucking fountain and I smacked my forehead on the naked baby."

"I have so many questions," Josh breathed.

"Naked baby?" Tracy asked, her head tilted to the side.

"Was it good?"

"Did he kiss you back?"

"What kind of kiss are we talking here?"

Theo sighed, cutting off their questions. "Too many questions, not enough sympathy. I just fucked everything up. I was meant to be proving I could be a good friend, not kissing him and embarrassing us both in front of everybody."

They exchanged a glance, and then Josh patted the bed between them. Theo moved closer and flopped into the space, the three of them laying side by side on the bed. They each took one of his hands, and it was one of the rare moments of complete support rather than mocking. He was sure it wouldn't last long. Mocking was how they showed their love.

"If it makes you feel any better, most people seem to think it was a setup to get a photo-op of the two of you all wet and pretty for the front of a magazine." Josh told him, saying this like it should be consoling in some way, rather than even more embarrassing.

"They think it was a PR stunt?" He groaned, and Josh nodded, patting Theo's hand with his spare one.

"What are you going to do?" Tracy asked. Her voice was softer now, kinder.

Theo shrugged helplessly. "Avoid him and hope he doesn't absolutely hate my guts. Pretend it never happened and hope he does the same."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam deals with the aftermath of Theo's actions in the maze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooft! I am so sorry it took me so long to publish this one, friends! I was a little distracted with a million things, but I should be back around more frequently now! It's all getting very complicated ahah! 
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave me any/all feedback or come yell at me on tumblr/twitter at @songbvrd.

"And he just walked off?"

"Yes!" Liam basically exploded, his eyes squeezed shut, laying back on his bed. "What the fuck is going on? I feel like I'm losing my mind."

Liam sat up, glaring in the direction of the far corner of the room when he heard Corey giggling about it. Mason wrapped an arm around him protectively, as though Liam might actually burn holes into him just with the power of his stony gaze.

"It doesn't sound like  _ you're  _ the one losing your mind here, Li." Brett spoke up. "I mean, who does that?"

"I think it's kind of romantic." Corey said slowly, and Liam threw a pillow at him. "What?" Corey defended, having caught the pillow, now holding it in his lap, "It's very... star-crossed lovers, fly into the sunset of you both."

"He literally wouldn't speak to me after, Corey." Liam reminded, brows raised. "I would call that Prince Dumbass more than Prince Charming."

"And what do you think?" Mason asked, addressing the fifth person in the room.

Hayden glanced up, dark eyes scanning over the entire group of them, mismatched as they were as a group of best friends.

"Sort of feel like I'm not supposed to be a part of this conversation." She admitted with raised brows, finally settling her eyes on Liam. "What do I think? Honestly? I'm very,  _ very  _ not surprised by this new development. I'm pretty sure he's been into you a long-ass time, but I also..." She sighed, thoughtful, "I also don't think you should chase him."

The group remained silent, waiting for her to elaborate. "I mean, he wasn't very nice to you growing up." She went on, "And then after doing that he runs off and doesn't talk to you more? It just seems like... if you go running after him, you set the tone for whatever relationship you guys have. That he can be a shit to you and you'll follow. I think... well, I think it's your turn to be... the shitty one for a little while."

"Oh, fuck what I said, I agree with her." Corey said quickly, nodding towards Hayden. "She's totally right about this."

Mason still looked like he was contemplating, like he wasn't sure. Brett didn't say anything, and Liam wondered if he'd zoned out, but thought it was more likely that he, too, was thinking through what Hayden said.

Liam himself had no thoughts to offer any of them. He was pretty sure his brain had irreparably shut down when Theo kissed him. Liam had always sort of had one brain cell floating around, occasionally hitting a corner of his skull and coming up with one single coherent thought (at least in his own mind), but that one brain cell had completely abandoned him now, leaving him with nothing more than embarrassment and, if he was honest, hurt.

He didn't even let himself consider whether he wanted Theo to kiss him, because that felt like unnecessary pain. It wasn't like he had any idea, even now, how Theo was  _ actually  _ feeling, so his only real bet was to... what? Go on as normal? Pretend it hadn't happened? He was overwhelmingly confused, and he almost felt ashamed to himself, even asking whether or not he liked it.

Whether or not he wanted to kiss Theo again. He kept trying to block his brain off from that place, from those thoughts, figuring it would only hurt him to go there, but the thoughts kept cropping back up. The feeling of Theo's hands grasping his upper arms. The way he had been looking at him. The way he had just seemed to shut down the second Liam pulled away, refused to speak to him about any of it. How angry Liam had felt in that moment, because kissing him was one thing, but shutting him out afterwards? Shouldn't he be entitled to a few questions?

"What does him being the shitty one entail?" Mason asked, probably asking the right questions. Liam snapped out of his dazed thought process, looking back up at her again. She met his eyes.

"Look, there's a lot we should talk about." She said softly, "On a personal... we're meant to be dating or whatever level. But... ultimately, what I'm saying is..." She shrugged, "I sound like an asshole, I guess, but let him chase you for a bit. And if he doesn't, then... he's a shit and not worth you risking everything for and if he does, then at least you'll know how he feels and hopefully snap him out of this repeated dumbassery."

Liam blinked, "So you're telling me to... go cold?"

"Yeah." She nodded, "I guess I am. I know that isn't the most healthy advice, but you said yourself, he was meant to be proving he could be a good friend to you. And then he kisses you and runs away like nothing happened? I don't know. It sounds... like a mess. And a massive power imbalance, which isn't fair on you."

"Okay..." He frowned, "I guess. I don't really... I have to think about it. I'm not trying to play some... weird power game about this."

"It's not a power game." Mason said slowly, his eyes flicking up to find Liam. Of anyone, Liam was absolutely the most likely to listen to Mason, so he waited. "It's about self respect. You deserve to... be treated like someone worth it. After everything that's happened, you have every right to be... upset. Or distrustful. He's not being consistent with you, and you have a right to expect better than that."

Liam nodded slowly, a little frown on his face. It was Hayden who spoke up next. "We're not saying distance yourself from him to get his attention. We're saying distance yourself from him because you don't deserve to be treated this way."

Liam glanced up at Brett, who hadn't said much since this whole thing started.

Brett stared back at him, and he seemed concerned, his brows furrowed. Liam felt like he was trying to communicate something nonverbally, but he had absolutely no idea what, so apparently they did not have those powers of friendship, despite years of being close to each other.

"I think you should do whatever you think is best." Brett finally said, though he seemed wary to say it at all. "But uh... don't get caught up in playing some game, is all I'm saying." He paused, "You and Theo have known each other for a super long time. You know your relationship with him better than any of us."

The conversation went forward, but Liam wasn't really listening after that point. He was caught up in thinking about what Brett had said. He couldn't help but imagine it probably had something to do with Josh, and the relationship the two of them had. Of anyone, Brett probably had the best idea of knowing at this point how Theo was actually feeling about it all. He wasn't sure Theo would confide in Hayden, now that things had gotten so messy and convoluted, plus Hayden had been with him since, but Josh was off with Theo. And Josh and Brett were almost certainly still in contact.

The truth was, Liam had no idea about his relationship with Theo. Everything he had thought he knew about the two of them had shifted sharply, completely changed, throwing what he'd thought he'd known into doubt. He was certain, completely certain, that Theo hated him. Yet, it had been Theo who had given the sincere sounding apology. Theo who had kissed him. Theo had wanted to even go down there at all.

Had Liam grown on Theo? Or had he actually felt like this all along, was just an idiot?

Liam remembered how he had been grumbling insults when he'd pulled himself out of that fountain, but in fairness, he'd been half frozen to death and Theo had just completely caught him off guard, left him feeling... vulnerable and almost like he was being mocked, though he couldn't place it.

It felt like some sick joke, because Liam couldn't figure out how the hell it could be anything else. After all this time, after everything that had transpired. Was it at all possible that all of Theo's weird, unpredictable behaviour was... because of this?

The truth was, as plausible as that seemed, Liam wasn't even close to feeling confident enough in that way of thinking to ask. He'd already tried to talk to Theo. He'd told him they needed to talk and Theo had insisted that nothing happened. He was beginning to feel like he had just lost it. He halfheartedly kicked at a lump of blankets on the bed, glancing around the room.

Hayden, sitting on a set of draws in one corner. Corey and Mason, sitting shoulder to shoulder in the other corner on a little pile of cushions they'd arranged into a makeshift beanbag formation. Brett stood up, one leg folded over the other, looking discreetly down at his phone. These were the people he trusted most in the world, and none of them seemed any more sure about any of this than he was.

When he zoned back in, what felt like an eternity later, all four of the other people in the room were looking down at their phones.

"'A Scandal of Princes: What Happened In The Garden?'" Hayden read tiredly, her voice monotonous. "This one seems to be implying that maybe they physically fought." She admitted, "It seems like they're trying to call it a quarrel between former friends. They've even said eyewitnesses say the boys might have been physically injured." She rolled her eyes. "As if they weren't both totally fine, just wet."

Liam blinked, not saying anything, just trying to clock back into what they were saying.

"A lot of the hashtag for it on twitter is calling it 'Fountaingate'." Corey sounded more amused than tired or annoyed, which sort of pissed Liam off, but he figured it wasn't their problem. It was just funny for them. "I keep seeing people saying things like, 'We're all joking, but could you imagine if they actually were fucking?'" He snorted a laugh, "Funny that that's seen as the ridiculous option."

Mason sighed, "Instagram is inundated with pictures of the two of them soaking wet. Lots of speculation, but honestly, the majority of it is just people thirsting over one or both of them. Not the worst. People seem to be less interested in figuring out what happened and more invested in hoping they're going to get more photos out of it."

Brett frowned, shaking his head, "Did I really have to get stuck with Facebook? Facebook is like, the armpit of the internet. The absolute cesspool. I feel like it's cruel that I'm here. Most of the comments are either really gross comments about the prospect of them being together or people claiming that it's secretly the beginning of a World War."

Brett nodded, "I'm currently reading a thread of two random old people arguing over whether or not Liam's taste is too good to date Theo. A lot of them are also convinced that Hayden's pregnant, but that's a whole different thing again."

"God, they've always felt like they owned him. You'd think these old white people really believed they had single handedly raised Liam." Mason shook his head, irritated. Liam was glad he was irritated, because Liam was, on a personal level, ready to throw hands with the entire internet. And Theo, just for good measure.

"'Liam knows better than to fall for false royalty. Everybody knows the Raeken Royals are a bad bloodline. Besides, you can see it in his eyes. He feels sorry for Theodore, that's the only reason he's there at all. I'll bet that boy pushed him in. Poor thing is too nice to rat him out too. But just you wait. A few more weeks and the whole thing will come out.'" Brett read, a look of disgust on his face.

"Find one geographically written from Theo's side of the pond, guarantee you they're all blaming me and saying what a nice young man Theo is." Liam chimed in, rolling his eyes. The rest of them glanced at him, evidently having forgotten he might be listening to this conversation. "Go on, though, may as well get some sort of amusement out of this absolute shit show."

They all looked slightly ashamed, but they went on scrolling. It was a few more moments before someone spoke again, as if trying to find something worth reading.

"This one has a timeline of every scandal the two of you have had, starting when you cut his hair when you were nine and going all the way through broken bones, running off together at parties and now this." Hayden read out. "They've even got some photos." She turned the phone around, showing a photo of a teenaged Liam and Theo, both bandaged and pouting, trying to act as if they weren't annoyed. "Honestly, it's kind of cute. This one's basically just suggesting that you've always been rivalrous but it's in good spirits, and it was probably just that again."

Hayden's were far less troubling, but Brett was chuckling and talking again, "There's a conspiracy that you and Theo are actually brothers andTheo's father was actually yours and that's why you were present so much in his childhood."

The entire group let out disgusted groans, the context of the whole situation making that theory so much more awful and troubling.

"Never read that again." Liam said seriously. "I don't care if the internet collectively decides that's the most likely option, I never, ever want to hear it again."

"Hashtag Thiam is trending." Corey cut in with a grin, "Lots of memes about how you're childhood best friends to lovers and shit like that."

Liam groaned again, bringing his hands up to his face. "I can't decide whether it's more disturbing how many of these stories are so far off or the fact that someone, somewhere on the internet has probably guessed exactly what happened. Like, word for word."

"Oh my god." Mason mumbled, looking down at Corey's phone, which Corey had extended for Mason to see, giggling quietly, one hand covering his mouth.

Liam winced in preparation, "Do I want to know?"

"No, probably not." Mason answered immediately.

"But you definitely should." Corey grinned, and Liam didn't know whether to be offended or not that one of his best friends was deriving so much amusement from this whole situation, and his peripheral suffering through it all.

He got to his feet, bringing the phone over to Liam, who snapped his hands over his eyes, frowning. "What the  _ fuck _ ?"

"It's fanart. Of you two."

"It is... incredibly flattering and also terrifyingly realistic..." Liam frowned, "I may need to go into hiding. This is too much. Too many people are thinking about this. How do I simply erase myself from the internet? Is that something I can do?"

There was a little echo of laughter around the room, and Liam got the sense his friends weren't sure whether to laugh or not. They didn't want to be insensitive, but Liam himself was clearly joking. It just so happened that joking was how Liam handled complete panic these days.

"How has my mother not called me yet?" Liam asked, groaning once more, just for good measure.

"Oh, I can explain that one, actually." Mason said quietly. When Liam glanced up, he continued sheepishly. "She called me."

Liam gawked, "She  _ what _ ? Does she know that I am her child?"

"I think she thought she'd get a more honest answer from me?" Mason admitted and Liam frowned. He was honest with his mother. He loved his mother. "She said both she and Caroline were worried about you... Which is... where she is, by the way. With Caroline."

Liam just blinked, not letting himself think about the implications of what he was hearing. "So... what did you say?" Liam asked, feeling like he was on the verge of actually evolving to a higher plane from how quickly his thoughts were moving at this point.

"Well, not what happened, obviously. I just said the two of you were messing around and fell and that you're fine. You were in the shower when she called, so I told her that." He frowned. Mason had always had Liam's back. He shouldn't be surprised, really, that Mason had given such a  _ diplomatic  _ answer. He'd been born for this. He and Josh would've been far better suited to be the crown princes of major nations than either Liam or Theo. This was why monarchies were stupid. They weren't elected roles, they were born roles, and Liam couldn't help that he was born stupid.

"Caroline will be so disappointed in me." Liam mumbled, and Hayden laughed at that one.

They all looked at her, and she shrugged, "Aunt Caroline  _ adores  _ Liam. I think she'd love it if she thought there was something between you." She admitted, a grin pulling at her lips. "Of course, I don't know how thrilled she'd be about the way Theo's screwed you around with it all."

Liam shook his head, overwhelmed with all the new information he'd received throughout the day. He still didn't understand a damn thing. Except it wasn't his little secret anymore, because all the people in this room knew. The one question he hadn't yet been asked was the really obvious one. Nobody had asked him how he felt about Theo. Maybe they didn't have to. Maybe they thought it wasn't the time for it. The grand truth was that Liam had no idea how to answer because he had no idea how to feel. He didn't even know if it was an option, if Theo actually liked him or if this was some sick game he couldn't escape, even in adulthood.

"Can we go get dinner now?" Liam asked, exhausted and ready for the conversation to be over. No doubt his mother would want to seriously talk to him about it all, and about PR, and all that other stuff Liam never wanted to talk about, but right now, he had no energy for that.

Liam didn't catch who answered, but it didn't matter, because they all began walking. He hung back, letting Hayden, Mason and Corey go first. He caught Brett by the wrist, holding him back silently.

When everyone else was gone, and it was just Liam and Brett, Liam closed and locked the hotel room door, looking up at Brett expectantly. The far taller boy looked at him like he was trying desperately to ignore the obvious question lingering in the air.

"Brett... we both know Theo tells Josh everything. And we both know you and Josh are all loved up now... which was honestly just annoyingly quick and easy of you, but anyway... So what do you know?"

"Liam..." He began, sighing.

"No." Liam shook his head, "Uh-uh. You wouldn't even know Josh if not for me. I'm in the fucking dark, man. I have no idea what's going on here, I don't know if it's a joke or a game or... or if I'm being bullied and I just don't get it this time, I don't understand... I need to understand." His eyes were big, pleading. "You don't have to tell me everything and I'll never repeat it, but give me  _ something _ ."

Brett seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, but then he nodded. "Yeah, alright. Alright, fine." He rubbed the back of his neck, "You two are  _ so  _ fucking stupid, by the way." He added, before heaving a deep sigh and beginning again, "I guess... all I can say is... It sounds like Josh and Tracy really have their hands full with Theo right now."

Liam blinked at Brett. How could someone be so tall and so good looking and yet be so completely devoid of compassion in all of his giant limbs.

"That... tells me  _ nothing _ , Brett."

"Yeah, it does." Brett sighed. "Just... think about it, Li."

Liam scoffed, but accepted this as his final answer. "One more thing..." He said quickly, "When everyone was telling me to go cold, you were... very quiet. I want to know what you think."

"Why?"

"Because I trust you." Liam said with a frown, "And because... I don't know. I don't think you'd fuck with me about this stuff. I mean, at least, god, I hope not."

Brett seemed to think for a long second, and then, finally, he spoke again. "As Josh's partner, I think you should try to think about why Theo might've done what he did. As your best friend..." He took a deep breath, shook his head, "I think they're right. You're always the nice one, Liam. And I love that about you, really, but sometimes you have to be a dick. Sometimes you have to protect yourself. You're not some kind of hero, and you don't owe it to anyone to let them treat you badly and still be there. Now, for the record, I don't think Theo's a bad guy. I actually think he cares about you. But... maybe a bit of distance will do you both good. Maybe it'll make him act more maturely about all this."

Liam nodded, and didn't ask for more, before going to the door and opening it again. He gestured for Brett to go first, and then followed himself, still spiraling through a thousand more thoughts than he knew how to handle.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo talks to Josh and Tracy about his predicament, and goes on a group lunch that forces him to confront an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye aye aye, my idiots are back and continuing their consistent idiocy! 
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave me any/all feedback here or on my twitter/tumblr at @songbvrd. I will say that I always accept prompts on tumblr, if there's anything you want to see me write!

Two weeks.

It had been two whole weeks since Theo had seen or heard from Liam, and he thought he might actually be losing his mind. Of course, it had been two whole weeks since he’d contacted Liam either, but what the hell did he say after doing something so stupid?

He could picture it.  _ Hi Liam, I’m sorry for kissing you in a public place and completely humiliating us both and then being too stupid to talk about it, but heck, it’s just that I’ve been in love with you as long as I can remember and I’m not smart enough to fix it. _

Maybe if he wasn’t such an idiot, he would just pick up the phone and text him. Even if he totally ignored it, that had to be better than silence, right?

But Theo had been living in a world of constant indecision. He’d written out about forty texts he deleted before he could send them, too worried he wouldn’t say the right thing.

What did he even say? He knew he should tell Liam it was nothing, a stupid accident he hoped they could forget about, but he didn’t really want to. He didn’t want to forget about it, he wanted Liam. But how did he say that? After everything he’d done, how did he say that?

“You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?”

Josh’s voice cut through his thoughts and Theo frowned at him, annoyed he’d been so clearly caught overthinking yet again. “Yup.”

“So call him. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Are you crazy?” Theo asked, his brows furrowed deeply, “He could answer! Then what?”

“Uh... I don’t know, Theodore, you could  _ talk to him.” _ Josh was shaking his head at him, and Theo just sort of pouted at him.

Theo had no idea how to talk to him. All he could think about was that damn kiss. All he could think about was the way Liam’s lips had felt against his, surprisingly soft, the way he had kissed back. The way it had felt to have Liam’s hands at his hips. He kept thinking about the moment Liam pulled away. It was seared into his mind. His blue eyes wide and confused, staring up at Theo like a deer in headlights, completely confused, with no idea what to do.

Everything about it had seemed so picturesque and perfect. Liam’s flushed cheeks and breathless smiles, the beautiful green of the garden around them, even in Winter. The sun shining down, deceptively mild on a day that looked like it should be blazing. Despite the cold, Liam had been warm. In another life, maybe that would’ve been their moment. Maybe Liam would’ve chased his lips instead of pulling away, maybe Theo would’ve found the courage to say the thing he’d been swallowing down since he was a teenager (younger, probably). Maybe it would’ve been the start of something. Maybe they’d have walked back to that party, all beaming smiles and clasped hands. Maybe Liam would be with him right now, curled up against his side. Maybe Theo’s heart would feel so full it might burst.

But it wasn’t their moment.

Liam wasn’t his, even if Theo would always be Liam’s.

“I can’t do it.” He said softly, shaking his head. “This isn’t a fairytale, Josh, our lives are mapped out already. Best case scenario is that we spend the rest of our lives hiding behind closed doors. Worst case is that I lose him entirely. I... I don’t stand to gain enough to justify the potential loss.”

“And what about now?” Josh asked, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. “No offence, Theo, but I think this is what losing him looks like.”

The words hit Theo in the chest, and he shook his head, "Don't." He said quickly, "I haven't lost him. I have him as much as I always have, which is not at all. But at least... I mean, at least he doesn't need to avoid me because I'm... because I did all this."

"Theo, it's been weeks." He said with a frown, "You haven't contacted each other. He probably is avoiding you. And he probably thinks that you're avoiding him too. Which, for the record, you are."

Tracy flicked the door open with a smirk on her face, the two of them both jumping, glancing up. They had known she was coming over at some point, but they were in a serious conversation up till that point, and Theo at least was very involved in all of his awful thoughts.

"I'm here, your prayers are answered." She said casually, flipping her long straight hair back as she walked. "Get out of bed, we're done with the moping, we're going out."

Theo groaned loudly, while Josh began laughing casually. "Oh, I like your style, Trace. I was trying to talk to him about his feelings, you're just ignoring them altogether. I love that."

"Well, his feelings are dramatic and stupid, so we're not going to talk about those. We're just going to force him out of the house because his sarcasm and cockiness will cancel out his sadness if people other than us are around."

They were obviously joking, and Theo couldn't help but smile at their comments. They knew him too well, and he couldn't help but feel a rush of fondness towards them. He had found the only two people in the world who would deal with his shit, he was sure, and they were funny too, which was an added bonus.

"So where are we going?"

"Good question!" Tracy began with a grin on her face, "We're going out for lunch." There was a sparkle in her eye that Theo was immediately wary of.

Theo blinked at her, but he needn't worry, because Josh had already come to the same conclusion. "Let me guess. Brett, Hayden and Liam are coming?"

"And Mason and Corey, yes."

"Absolutely not." Theo dropped his face down into the lounge he sat on.

Tracy was grinning. He didn't need to look at her to know, he could hear it in her voice. "Too late, you have no choice. I've already agreed. If you don't go, it's going to look really bad. And like you are specifically avoiding him. It's a public lunch too, so I'm sure the media would have a field day with that. Especially because Josh and I are going either way."

“This is... you’re evil...” He told Tracy, who stared him in the eye like the proud evil genius she was.

She rolled her eyes, “Look, Theo, you can’t avoid him forever. For someone who keeps talking about how being with him would look, you’re not thinking about how ignoring him looks. First of all, he’s dating your cousin. He’s on your turf for the first time in years and the public thinks you’re best friends. The two of you disappear together, come back soaking wet, and then publicly aren’t seen together? Theo, it looks bad. I know you know that. Whether they assume something good or bad, it’s an assumption, and that’s the last thing you or he needs.”

She was right and that only pissed Theo off more. He had to go, and she’d known he couldn’t say no when she’d arranged this.

“Don’t pretend you’re doing this for my PR, Trace.” He grumbled.

“Oh, god, no.” She shook her head, “I’m doing this because you’re acting like a fifteen year old too scared to ask the boy he likes to prom and it’s beneath you. You need to get up and fix it or it’s going to fuck everything up. It was your mistake. Either apologise or confess your love, I don’t care, but don’t leave it like this. It’s weak.”

The room fell into silence, no one seeming to know what to respond to such harsh and, honestly, troublingly true words.

“Jesus, Tracy, tell him what you really think.” Josh said casually, though the chuckle he gave was nervous. It was unusual for one of them to overstep enough for the other two to be unsure how to react (all three were not particularly easy to offend), but they all knew how sensitive the issue was for Theo too. Still, he could understand what Tracy was trying to do.

“Look, I’m sorry.” Tracy said, her voice softening somewhat, “I’m not trying to be a bitch. Not really, anyway. But I don’t like seeing you this way and I don’t think it’s going to get better until someone forces you to deal with it. So if I have to be the bad guy, I’ll be the bad guy. As long as it helps you.”

Theo groaned, but pulled himself to his feet, walking off towards his room to get ready for whatever level of Hell Tracy had volunteered him for.

“Don’t forget to wash your hair, you look like a sad guppy.” Josh called after him, and Theo mimicked laughter sarcastically while the other two actually plunged into laughter.

*

“So... you’re into Hayden, right?” Theo asked, not bothering to beat around the bush. Tracy never did with him.

Tracy met his eyes, and Theo felt like he could see her weighing her options. She hated to feel weak, especially with Theo asking her so directly, but it was also a lot to admit. To her cousin, no less.

She nodded finally, as if accepting his challenge, and he grinned. “Knew it. So your motives for trying to push me into Liam aren’t entirely pure...?” It was a question, technically, but his tone made it clear he already knew the answer.

“I never said they were. Although, frankly, neither of us have even half the dramatic tendencies you and Liam have.”

Theo blinked at her, “Wait, what? Are you already together?”

Tracy just shot him a smirk, raising her shoulders in a delicate and mysterious shrug. Josh laughed like it was Christmas and Theo felt the world spin out of focus.

“Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?” He demanded, caught between excitement and annoyance that he hadn’t known.

She grinned, “Because some of us do relationships quietly and privately.” She commented, glancing at Josh, who also smiled.

“Alright, so you’re telling me both of you just happened to hit it off with people and get together without any drama? That’s really what you’re telling me? That just seems unfair! I mean, she’s your fiancé’s cousin! How did you manage this without any drama or even telling me?”

The two of them busted out into laughter as the car pulled up at their lunch destination, and Theo shook his head. “I hate you both.”

“If it makes you feel any better, man, we don’t have a history of childhood hatred and royal titles to contend with.” Josh said, before sliding out of the car after Tracy, leaving Theo sitting there reeling a moment longer.

When he finally left the car and followed them both in, he had the familiar (altogether unwelcome) feeling of being watched. Of having camera lenses and focused eyes on him. He walked in after them, keeping his eyes fixed forward, glad they had convinced him to dress nicely.

But by the time he got to their table, Theo saw what was happening. The seats had been planned, clearly, and the only remaining free one was by Liam’s right side.

Liam sat beside Mason, and the table went round in couples, with only he, Liam, Hayden and Tracy sitting out of order to what the public eye might expect. It was clearly intentional though, most likely on the part of Hayden and Tracy. Hayden must have made the choice to sit away from Liam. Theo couldn’t fathom that Liam would’ve agreed to the choice.

“Hello, Liam.” He said quietly as he slid into his chair, his eyes finding the profile of the slightly shorter boy, who stared ahead as though nothing had changed when Theo sat. He should address them all- but he didn’t.

Liam didn’t look at him, but the muscle in his jaw ticked, and after a moment of pregnant silence, he finally answered. “Theo.”

“Listen, I—“ Theo had no idea what he was going to say, but it didn’t really matter, because before he got any more out, Liam had turned away from him altogether and had engaged Mason and Corey in conversation, as though Theo wasn’t there at all.

Theo blinked a few times, a frown on his face, but didn’t know what else to say.

His mind lapsed into memories while the others talked. He thought about when he was just eleven, and Liam was ten. About how he’d snapped at Liam about fathers and Liam had run off silently to his balcony. He thought about how terrified he’d been to follow, and the way Liam’s expression betrayed his absolute distrust when he next saw him. He thought about all their pranks. About when Liam had ridden behind him on Lasagna. About how jealous Theo had been, and how desperately he had always wanted Liam’s attention. Once, he would’ve said it was because he loathed Liam. Now he knew it was because he’d been harbouring these feelings since he was too young to name them. He’d done nothing but hurt Liam, and he had no right to bear these feelings towards him.

A part of him longed for his childhood, when he and Liam would awkwardly hug and whisper insults into the embrace. Where they would argue constantly, but end up laughing when nobody else was around to hear. When Liam would get grumpy and give him an adorable pout that Theo would try to draw from him. He remembered how they’d play cops and robbers together and how, occasionally, they’d lay awake at night giggling as they told each other stupid stories in the dark.

He had been so stupid then. So unable to see how much he loved Liam. So unaware of how lucky he was to have him, even if it was only for a short time every year.

But Liam was beside him now, not even a foot away, and Theo felt oceans away from him. Had he really blown any chance he ever had of getting to be around Liam. He felt an icy longing to be nearer the boy. To be able to have moments of inconsequential intimacy he watched him have with everyone else. How he would drop his head against Mason’s shoulder when he laughed too hard. How he’d hold hands with Hayden. How he grasped Corey’s hand for a moment as they laughed about something, grinning conspiratorially at each other. He watched Brett and Josh, how Josh leaned into Brett, head rested on Josh’s shoulder. His eyes slid to Hayden and Tracy, leaning close together to talk, their body language fixed only on each other. He had a flash of a memory, Mason coming over for the first time when he was eleven, Liam running to him, picking him up in a tight, loving hug. They were only children then, but Theo had already wished Liam liked him that much, though he’d denied it then. Now... now he couldn’t even fathom a life in which Liam would deign to be that close to him.

In which Liam wouldn't look at him with distrust and coldness. Distrust and coldness he had earned.

This is what losing him looks like.

Theo tapped Liam's shoulder, making it harder for him to outwardly ignore Theo. There were cameras on them, always, and ignoring Theo would seem... pointed. More pointed than Theo wagered Liam was willing to be.

Liam turned to look at him, but there was ice in his gaze, and his eyes scanned over Theo's face. Theo felt self conscious, but tried not to let it show on his face. He tried not to think about whether others were listening. He figured everyone at the table knew anyway. He had told his friends, he imagined Liam had told his too.

"I'm really sorry about the other day and--"

"Don't." Liam's voice was quiet, but it was harsh. Abrupt. Resolute. "We already established nothing happened, remember?"

"I thought you wanted to talk about it...?" Theo asked, and he wondered if the desperation in his voice sounded as obvious to anyone who might be listening as it sounded to him.

Liam just stared at him for a moment, and Theo thought about how much he had resented Liam's eyes when he was a kid. They were so bright, so striking. They seemed empty now, unreadable.

"And you were the one who reminded me there was nothing to talk about. Remember?" His voice was calm and quiet, like he was keeping himself completely composed. It used to be Theo who was good at that. It was getting harder. Now, he felt like he was reaching out to Liam in the dark, unable to find him anywhere. He probably deserved that.

"You really don't want to talk about it?" Theo asked, skeptically.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Liam repeated. He went to turn away again, but before he could, Theo grabbed his wrist.

"Hey. I just... can't stop thinking about when we were kids. Do you remember when you set my phone in jello? After I cut your hair? And you put whipped cream all over my bed?"

There was a flicker of a smile slipping onto his face and Theo felt a jump in his chest.

"Yeah, I remember. I also remember when I fell off Doodlebug and you made me ride behind you on the horse. I think I nearly killed you that day."

Theo let a grin fill up his face. Hopeful and happy, Liam was talking to him again, and it wasn't the same as clearing the air, but maybe it could be enough. "Oh yeah." He nodded, "And you wouldn't touch me properly, you kept balling your hands up like you might catch something from me if you held onto me."

Liam laughed, shaking his head, and his cheeks were a little red. "Well, in fairness, I may very well have caught something from you if I had touched you." He pointed out, and Theo felt like maybe the comment about Liam touching him had been ill-timed, but it seemed to have worked, so that had to count for something.

It was a calculated risk and he knew it, a choice he might come to instantly regret, but he couldn't help it. If going back to childhood friends (or whatever the hell they had been) was how he went about not losing Liam, then that was fine. He would spend the rest of his life pining, he thought, so long as he didn't lose him altogether.

So Theo grabbed Liam's wrist, grinning in the cheeky way he would've when they were teenagers stuck in the same castle for six weeks. "Well, whatever I've got, you've caught it now." He teased.

Liam yanked his wrist away, but he was laughing, so Theo thought maybe it was a win. Maybe Liam liked this version of him better. The teasing and joking they had become accustomed to over the years, rather than the mess he'd become since, once everything had started to get far too real. Things were simple when he was a kid. He just wanted to play polo and hang out with his friends and bicker with Liam forever. He hadn't really had to think about the rest of it yet. But now he knew, and he wished he didn't.

"One day I'm going to push you off a horse just so that you have no choice but to ride behind me instead." Liam told him. It was an empty threat, of course, but it spoke of a kind of normalcy that Theo worried they wouldn't be able to get back. Maybe it was an act. It wasn't enough, not for Theo, but it was better than nothing. If he couldn't have Liam, at least maybe he could be near him. Be friends, of a sort. If Liam had to push him off a horse for Theo to have that, so be it.

He snorted outwardly, "Are you really so stubborn, Liam? That you would push me off a horse just to get payback? You realise that would mean  _ I _ would have to cling to  _ you _ , right? Or are you over your fear of that?"

Inside his own mind, Theo was resolute that he wasn't going to flirt with Liam. That it was a bad idea, that it had only bred bad things. But out loud, things kept popping out of his mouth, and he could hear the tone to them. Hear the flirting.

Lunch went on much that way, with Theo and Liam remaining enraptured in amused bickering, which went all the way up to making fun of each other and back several times. Theo let Liam insult him, because he deserved it for a great many things, and because he was just happy Liam wanted to talk to him again.

And Liam did. He gave him shit about just about everything, from Theo's stupid smirk to the way he had gotten so pissy and jealous when Liam had chosen to hang out with Nolan instead of him. Theo didn't bother to deny a word of it. He gave it back a little too, teased Liam about his tendency to pout when annoyed and about his intense competitiveness. His obsessed with the little balcony in Theo's home.

It almost felt normal. It almost felt like what it should've been.

"Yes, well, it isn't my fault you're emotionally stunted, Theo." Liam said the words with a smirk on his face, but they still hit Theo right in the chest.

He blinked, "I'm not emotionally stunted." He knew he was.

He had gotten to his feet, the group getting ready to go their separate ways for the afternoon, their respective town cars waiting outside for them.

"Okay, Theodore. It's  _ almost  _ like you  _ bullied  _ me for fourteen years straight and then  _ kissed  _ me when I started dating your cousin." He said the words so casually, Theo could almost believe he didn't mean them. Almost believe there wasn't a serious note to them. Almost.

He followed Liam when the younger boy walked quickly after the group of friends that had exited first, towards the black town car at the front of the line.

"Wait," Theo chased, feeling weirdly out of his depth in a way he hadn't in a long, long time. He felt like an unsure sixteen year old again, realising he had a crush on Liam in the first instance. "Will you text me?" He asked, nearly wincing at how pathetic he sounded.

Liam spared one last glance at him, and Theo couldn't read a single thing about it. Then he shrugged. "You've got my number."

He got in the car, and Theo was left blinking after it as it pulled away, before he reluctantly made his way to join Tracy and Josh in the car behind.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group go out drinking together.
> 
> Liam and Theo finally discuss what happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in posting, you guys, my muse has been a bit finnicky lately. But hey, we're back!
> 
> I hope you guys love this chapter, and as always, please feel free to leave me any/all feedback or come hang with me at @songbvrd on tumblr or twitter!

**Theo:** Hey

**Liam:** do you think muffins ever feel shame?

**Theo:** Are you... high? wtf?

**Liam:** no just like ... you know how when you go into stores there are always those muffins that are like bran or smth and you just know they’ve been there for like a week and a half already at least?

**Theo:** what the fuck are you talking about

**Theo:** Are you seriously asking me if week old bran muffins feel shame?

**Liam:** you said you wanted to talk to me, didn’t you? congratulations, we’re talking

**Theo:** Okay, fine. Let’s say that hypothetically, muffins could have feelings. why would they be ashamed? wouldn’t they be relieved that they live to fight another day??

**Liam:** mm maybe ig. but like, maybe being eaten is their purpose, yanno? like maybe when they’re made they’re just so excited and they’re trying to figure out who will get picked first and we just disgrace the ones we don’t pick ...

**Theo:** Liam are you eating a muffin right now?

Liam sent back a picture of himself with a half eaten bran muffin.

**Theo:** Liam... pls tell me you did not buy an ugly bran muffin because you were worried it felt ashamed...

**Liam:** ... i didn’t ... not buy an ugly bran muffin bc i was worried it felt ashamed ...

Theo sent back a picture of himself face palming, then a picture of the croissant he had been eating for breakfast. He pulled a stupid face behind the croissant, and sent it before he could second guess himself and his choices.

Liam was talking to him. Liam was acknowledging he was alive. After the shit he pulled, Theo figured it was about as much as could possibly ask for.

Theo had never been a great believer in things. He was largely a cynic, the things he did believe in had to be actionable, provable. He considered himself a relatively staunch atheist, a believer in science. He didn’t have even half of Liam’s imagination or optimism for the world. Bearing that in mind, it had been nearly world shattering when Theo realised how sappy and romantic he had become. When he realised he couldn’t picture himself ever loving anybody else. When he realised Liam had become the first person he thought about in the morning, the person he would look for in a room.

And when it seemed impossible and stupid and unlikely, he even found himself gravitating to the boy. Every fibre of his being told him it was stupid. Impossible, undignified, unacceptable. He was titled. He was a future King. And yet...

He was fairly certain he’d give it all up. Not that he had ever, would ever, say it out loud.

It didn’t matter what he was willing to give up anyway. It wasn’t him that was the deciding factor here.

Liam hadn’t given him reason to assume that he felt anything close to the same way. And frankly, while Theo didn’t know, he could delude himself sometimes, when he really needed it, into believing that maybe he had a chance.

But delusions were just delusions, and the most he could hope for was that Liam would forgive him for being a stupid and selfish kid and an even stupider adult, and be his friend.

His phone dinged again, and when he opened the message from Liam, he found a link to an article theorising about how the two princes were secretly in love, complete with accounts of the two of them sneaking off from parties together throughout the years, and photos that appeared to show one of the two of them looking longingly at another. He paused on a photo of Theo grinning, and Liam looking up at him attentively. If he didn’t know better, he could see why people thought what they did. But he did know better.

Still, he let himself imagine a world where that might be real. He sent a few question marks to Liam in response, confused about why he would send that to Theo. Was he fucking with him now? Was this a test of some kind?

Liam didn’t respond to the question marks, and Theo was left reeling. What the fuck did any of this mean?

**King Simp to Golden Trio:** um???? Liam just texted me a link to an article about how we’re secretly in love?????

**King Simp to Golden Trio:** SOS wtf is happening

**Bad Bitch to Golden Trio:** HAHAHAHA

**Joshikins to Golden Trio:** btw, we're going out with them tonight.

**King Simp to Golden Trio:** ????????????????????????????

**Bad Bitch to Golden Trio:** we're going out drinking with them tonight. look pretty.

*

"Three... two... one." Josh, Tracy, Theo, Liam, Brett, Mason, Corey and Hayden all downed their shot as quickly as they were able, and Theo winced immediately, wishing he hadn't agreed to do this with them.

They were all conscious, because they had to be, that they were being watched. They always were being watched, there were always cameras focused on them, always people waiting to extrapolate and make it more interesting, more sensationalised.

"Toughen up, princess." Hayden told him with a grin, patting him on the back, and Theo just rolled his eyes at her, though he was amused by it.

He grimaced at her, "I hate shots," He told her, "I'm only doing this because the other two dragged me here."

"If they didn't drag you places, you'd never leave your kushy castle," The brunette said, raising her brows. "It's good you're here, you need to stop worrying so much and have some fun. All you do lately is overthink everything."

Theo's eyes flicked over to where Liam and Brett were trying to pick Corey up between them, laughing a little. He knew that was what Hayden meant. That she was talking about how much he'd been overthinking all this, but it was still so complicated.

"Theo!" Theo's eyes flicked up at the sound of his own name, "C'mere!" It was Brett, who Theo had never really gotten to know. He was confused as to why he was being called, especially since they were in the middle of their own weird thing over there throwing Corey around.

Still, Theo moved over to them, a little ways down the bar, keeping his eyes on Brett rather than looking at Liam, somehow weirdly nervous.

“Come sit here, I want to see if we can pick you up!” Brett grinned. They’d only had a few shots each, but he could see people starting to feel it, and both Brett and Liam laughed and held their arms out.

Theo didn’t really get the game, but he was, at the very least, happy to see the other two so happy.

“Um, is that a good idea? If you two drop me, it’ll be all over the news tomorrow. Here and in your kingdom.”

“Ugh!” Liam rolled his eyes dramatically, furling and unfurling his fingers at Theo as if to beckon him over. “You don’t always have to be so serious, y’know?”

Theo just blinked at him. The way he grinned, his eyes fixed on Theo. Truthfully, Theo saw stars. But that was the weirdest thing for him— how was he meant to act about this? How was he meant to deal with it? Was it appropriate to smile? He would surely have to put his arm back around Liam if they were lifting him?

He wasn’t sure he’d ever thought so much in only a few moments of his life. It was like his head was so full, he had short-circuited altogether.

But then he made his way over, ignoring all of his better judgements, and stayed still as Liam and Brett hoisted him by a thigh each, lifting him off the ground. He had an arm around each of their shoulders, and the more the two of them laughed triumphantly, lifting him higher and higher, the more Theo couldn’t help it either. Liam never looked so happy around him, and now that he’d seen it, Theo wanted more of it.

“King Theo!” Liam shouted, and his friends whooped sarcastically around him, Theo holding on tightly to Liam, his fist bunching in the t-shirt the blonde boy wore.

“Don’t drop me.” Theo managed, almost a giggle.

“Never, Your Royal Highness,” Liam answered back, a grin on his own face. He heard one of his friends wolf whistle, and he was certain it was Josh. When he managed to look up, Tracy had a camera pointed at his face too.

“Oi, don’t record this!” Theo yelled, letting go of his grip on Brett for one moment to swing at them. It didn’t matter though, they weren’t the only ones in the bar recording, and at the very least, it would dispel any rumour of them hating each other, he figured.

Then again, he was lying to himself if he pretended what he cared about here was reputation. No, it was Liam. Liam with one hand gripping onto Theo’s right thigh and the other around his back. Liam who seemed carefree for maybe the first time... ever. At least to Theo’s recollection. Liam whose grin seemed to light up the entire world around him.

And so, wanting to hold onto the moment and the levity and whatever kindness Liam was offering him by including Theo after everything he’d done... Theo decided to play along. Properly. He sat up straighter and held his hand up in an overly dramatic wave, chin raised proudly.

He cleared his throat loudly, as if to get everyone’s attention and smirked. “Off with his head.” He said, pointing deliberately at Josh, who burst out laughing as Tracy playfully pulled him into a headlock.

A moment later, the two were dropping Theo back onto his feet, and he pretended to be displeased about it, pretended to be upset he had to stand on the peasant's floor or whatever stupid thing, but really, he did sort of miss having an excuse to be so close. He wasn't sure when he'd gotten quite this pathetic, but he was pretty sure he'd been walking the line for a long time now.

"Theo needs more alcohol," Hayden called casually, "He's far too sober, he's overthinking himself back into full sobriety, he needs to be drunk. Like right now." Theo shot a glare in his cousin's direction, but she only grinned back at him. He had no idea what her game was here, but it wasn't a good look for Theo to get drunk publicly. And besides that, he had been such a mess lately, so inconsistent in the way he'd acted, it seemed like a bad plan to make it worse by being inebriated around Liam.

Within a minute, Theo had not one, but two shots pressed into his hands, everyone else carrying one. He cringed inwardly, knowing that this was going to end horribly, knowing that there was no good outcome of the lot of them getting drunk together with so many secrets already passed between them all.

But hey, if this mess was what his friends wanted, who was Theo to say no? He could deal with the press in the morning. Whatever the hell that was going to look like.

"Alright, Theo, you have to go one right after the other," Liam told him, standing right beside him, one arm leaning on Theo's shoulder casually. He wasn't sure how they had gotten back to a point of being allowed to be so casual with each other, but he wasn't going to complain about it. Most likely, he figured, it was only because Liam was drunk, and nothing else.

Some small part of his head told him that there was no actual way Liam was drunk, considering the younger monarch had barely had anything to drink, that at best he was just buzzed and happy, but his own paranoia rebuffed this vein of logic, telling him there was no other reason Liam would want to be so close to him.

And so the group downed the first, and then turned to him to watch him swallow the second, wincing at the burn that seemed to run right down his entire body.

When he looked back up, everyone watched him intently, as though waiting for the inevitable reaction. He was happy to oblige. "I just want you all to know," He sounded like it had burned his throat, "From the bottom of my heart, that I hate you."

A cheer, and the group went back into smaller conversational fractions, leaving Theo caught half listening to Liam, Mason and Corey and half listening to Josh and Brett. Tracy and Hayden were a little farther away, and harder for him to listen to. He didn't particularly want to impose on either of the couples, but nor did he want to intercept the little group of best friends that he was not and would never be a part of.

He settled on removing himself from the awkwardness for a moment. As soon as he walked, the effects of the alcohol hit him a little more. He was still fine, mostly, but the world seemed a little hazy around the edges, and he knew that was dangerous. Much as he wanted to go along with his friends and their plans, he wasn't sure it was a good idea for him to lose his inhibitions.

When he got into the bathroom, he immediately wished he hadn't. Far from the sophisticated bathrooms of the balls and functions he'd gone to his entire life, this bathroom was disgusting, dimly lit, and eerily quiet. The sound of the bar's music faded through the walls was weirdly ambient, and Theo suddenly felt like he was about to get murdered.

Still, at least he could slowly drive himself insane with his thoughts in peace here.

Or at least, he'd hoped so. Only a minute after he entered the bathroom, the door swung open again, and Theo was beginning to wonder if this was a nightmare of some kind. Liam was blocking the door, casually, making sure nobody else entered.

"Can I help you?" Theo asked, sounding far more awkward than his usual combative self.

Liam snorted, "Yeah, sort of."

Dark brows raised in confusion, but Liam only smiled at him. Theo couldn’t place it. It wasn’t the forced smile Liam used to give him when he was forced to turn up on Theo’s doorstep every year of their childhood. Nor was it the real smile he had occasionally seen when Liam and he had actually gotten along well or was hanging out with his actual friends. This was something else again. Something guarded, but sort of knowing.

“I miss you.” Liam said slowly, “I mean, the actual you. Like, the one I was sort of friends or... or rivals or enemies with or whatever. Depended on the year, I guess. Lately you’ve been really weird and...” He took a breath, “I’m not going to tell, alright?”

Theo blinked. Not at all what he had been expecting. “Tell what?” He asked stupidly, staring down at the slightly shorter boy, who stood against the door still, blocking it.

Liam swallowed, and Theo wasn’t used to this look. Liam was looking at him like he was a moron, and actually, Theo was pretty sure that was how he used to look at Liam. Still, it didn’t click.

“I’m not going to tell anyone you kissed me, alright? So if you’re being all weird with me because you’re worried I’m going to tell someone, you needn’t be.”

Oh.

_ Oh. _

“You think I’m... worried you’re going to tell people...?”

“Aren’t you?”

Theo didn’t know how to answer that. If he said that wasn’t what he was worried about, Liam would surely ask him what he was concerned about. And honestly, Theo had no good answer. He was freaked out because it was the obvious decision after how badly he’d messed everything up. Literally everything, from that first day when his little, bratty, 6 year old self had kicked Liam out of his room to play his video game in peace.

“I mean... not anymore,” He said awkwardly, letting out a breath that sounded like it wanted to be a laugh, but fell short.

“Right,” Liam nodded. “Well... it’s cool. Just forget it. You wouldn’t talk about it with me and that’s fine, but... I hate all the awkwardness so... talk to me or get over it.”

Theo blinked. Since when was Liam so... self-assured? He could’ve sworn that used to be him. Had the power dynamic really shifted so much? Maybe that served him right.

He swallowed.

“I don’t really know what to say about it.” Theo finally managed, relieved that his voice sounded relatively calm and neutral. “It was, uh, obviously a mistake and I’m sorry I put you in that position.”

Liam scrutinised him, and Theo felt like he was under a microscope. It wasn’t a new or fresh thing. He could distinctly remember Liam doing this to him when Theo had gotten pissed off (see: jealous) about Liam’s friendship with Nolan. He could distinctly remember Liam doing it when they sat in that tree at his father’s funeral. He could distinctly remember him doing it when Theo had apologised after their dance gone wrong. It never ceased to make him totally uncomfortable.

Years and years of convincing himself he always had the upper hand had led him here. He didn’t have it. Maybe he’d never had it. Maybe Liam had always had the power to break his heart. Maybe every attempt to distance himself or push Liam away had been totally in vain, because this was always coming.

Maybe this was who they always were. Theo, a walking dumpster fire, no idea how to handle vulnerability without lashing out or running away. Liam, earnest and surprisingly emotionally intelligent and disarmingly honest.

Liam finally shrugged, but Theo didn’t feel any less like a bug under a microscope under his piercing gaze. “It’s fine, the  _ tension  _ was going to break one way or another eventually. Better a kiss than a broken nose.”

How did Liam seem so cool about this? When was Liam ever  _ cool  _ about anything?

But it all felt more real now. Like Liam had spoken it into existence by saying the word ‘kiss’ about them at all. They’d both been totally ignoring it since, after Theo’s second (or maybe fifteenth) mistake of that day. But it was real now. Tangible in the air between them, like a bubble waiting to burst. Like something a single wrong breath might break.

Suddenly, Theo couldn’t stop thinking about it. How soft Liam’s lips had been. How he had kissed back. How his hands had rested on Theo’s hips. Suddenly, he couldn’t shake the insistent, unwavering longing he felt to do it again. They were both silent, eyes locked, and Theo wondered what the hell was happening? Liam had barricaded him into the bathroom to tell him it was okay? That he was forgiven? Why?

“I s’pose if I were less chaotic, it could’ve just been a conversation.” Theo offered awkwardly.

“That’s not really on brand for us though, is it?” Liam answered casually, “I mean, sure, we could’ve just talked about a lot of things over the years. But I nearly got a concussion because you threw a piece of decorative armour at me and you lost several phones to me strategically stealing and breaking them in increasingly ridiculous ways. Why would this be any different?”

There was a sort of a twinkle in Liam’s eye, Theo thought. Amusement, maybe. Something else he had no idea how to place.

“Because we’re adult men. With entire monarchies on our backs?” Theo suggested with a smirk.

Liam shrugged, but a grin pulled at the corners of his mouth, “Exactly. That’s why it works though, isn’t it? We have to be serious and refined everywhere else. Together, we don’t talk things out, we just... throw dumb shit at each other and hope it doesn’t cause an international scandal.”

Theo had thought Liam was drunk before, but he seemed totally sober throughout this conversation. Had he simply been having fun with his friends before, or had the nature of this conversation sobered him up?

Theo nodded slowly, “Well, I’m sorry anyway. It was... weird. Everything about it.”

Liam moved, and before Theo could really process anything, he could feel a hand in his hair and another on his hip. Liam’s lips were against his and his body was pressed solid against Theo, effectively trapping him against the sink. Not that Theo would ever try to move. He barely had time to feel any of it. Barely had time to process the force of the kiss (far more enthused than his own), nor the way Liam’s fingers dug into his side. He barely even had a moment to kiss back before Liam was gone again, and his body seemed colder in its wake.

“There. Now we’re even. Nothing to be sorry for.”

  
  



End file.
